/SL./<$.    /^, 


^'^  PRINCETON,  N.  J.  *^ 

Presented    by       ^^  e^  CA  UA-V-\n  o  V. 


BT  295  .B965  191A 

Burrell,  David  James,  18AA- 

1926. 
"We  would  see  Jesus," 


Digitized  by  tine  Internet  Arciiive 

in  2010  with  funding  from 

Princeton  Tiieological  Seminary  Library 


littp://www.archive.org/details/wewouldseejesusOOburr 


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DEC  16  1914 


"WE  WOULD  SEE  JESUS" 


BY 


DAVID  JAMES  BURRELL 
Minister  to  the  Marble  Collegiate  Church 


AMERICAN  TRACT  SOCIETY 

Park  Avenue  and  Fortieth  Street 

New  York 


Copyright,  19 14,  hy 
American  Tract  Society. 


This  Little  Book  is  Dedicated 
To  My  Friend. 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

I.     Why  Would  We  See  Him  ? 7 

II.     Where  Can  He  Be  Found? 10 

III.  Who  Is  He? i6 

IV.  What  Shall  the  Doubter  Do? 23 

V.     Will  You  Look  at  This  Singular  Man  ? 30 

VI.     Can  Our  Eyes  Be  Opened? 37 

VII.     How  Peter  Saw  Him 44 

VIII.     How  John  Saw  Him 52 

IX.    How  Paul  Saw  Him -59 

X.     How  Pilate  Saw  Him 66 

XI.    Look  Around  You 72 

XII.     See  Him  at  Your  Door 80 

Conclusion 86 

Afterword   87 


I. 

WHY  WOULD  WE  SEE  HIM? 

It  is  related  that  a  company  of  Greeks  who  had  come  up  to 
Jerusalem  to  attend  one  of  the  annual  feasts,  hearing  much 
about  Jesus  the  prophet  of  Nazareth,  resolved  to  verify  for 
themselves  the  current  rumors  concerning  his  wonderful  words 
and  works.  They  accordingly  spoke  to  Philip,  one  of  the  dis- 
ciples, saying,  "Sir,  we  would  see  Jesus."  These  men  ought 
to  interest  us,  because  they  were,  in  a  way,  relatives  of  ours. 

It  was  not  strange  that  the  Jews  wanted  to  see  Jesus,  since 
their  Oracles  were  full  of  him ;  but  these  Greeks  were  Gen- 
tiles, belonging  to  the  great  body  of  outsiders  who  were 
regarded  as  having  neither  part  nor  lot  in  the  Messianic 
heritage.  Nevertheless  when  they  heard  of  Jesus  they  wanted 
to  see  him. 

In  truth,  everybody  would  like  to  see  Jesus.  The  deepest 
longing  of  the  average  man  is  to  solve  certain  questions  that 
revolve  about  him.  If  he  were  to  come  to  our  city  to-day 
what  a  turnout  of  the  people  there  would  be — old  and  young, 
rich  and  poor,  thronging  the  thoroughfares  to  catch  a  glimpse 
of  him! 

How  shall  we  account  for  this  universal  desire  to  see  Jesus  ? 
To  make  it  more  distinctly  personal,  why  are  you,  my  friend, 
eager  to  see  him  ? 

Well,  to  begin  with,  because  he  is  the  most  talked-about  of 
all  the  distinguished  personages  who  have  ever  lived  in  this 
world  of  ours.  His  name  is  exploited  everywhere.  And  this 
is  the  more  remarkable  when  we  remember  that  he  lived  in  a 
remote  corner  of  the  earth  and  died  above  eighteen  hundred 
years  ago.  How  many  times  have  you  heard  the  name  of  Plato 
mentioned  in  the  last  twelve  months,  or  that  of  Marcus  Aure- 


8  "we  would  see  jesus" 

lius,  or  Epictetus,  or  Sakya  Muni,  or  any  other  of  the  great 
teachers  whom  the  nations  honored  in  their  day? 

The  influence  of  Jesus  confronts  us  everywhere.  Go  into 
an  art  gallery  and  look  around  you.  Here  is  a  picture  of  the 
Annunciation,  and  there  of  the  Immaculate  Conception,  and 
yonder  of  the  Nativity,  the  Crucifixion  or  the  Resurrection.  Go 
into  any  library  and  read  the  titles  of  the  books ;  observe  how 
many  of  them  have  to  do  with  his  life,  his  teachings,  his  mir- 
acles, his  atonement,  his  influence  on  the  welfare  of  men  and 
nations.  Go  into  the  universities  and  ask  what  studies  are 
being  pursued,  and  you  will  find  the  history,  philosophy,  sociol- 
ogy, political  economy,  all  centering  on  him.  Go  into  the  pub- 
lic schools  in  most  places,  and  observe  how  the  attention  of  the 
children  is  directed  to  him.  In  some  of  our  New  York  schools 
the  teachers  are  not  permitted  to  mention  Christ,  the  only  dis- 
cernible reason  being  that  there  are  eight  hundred  thousand 
Jews  in  this  city  and  they  control  a  formidable  number  of 
votes.  This  is  a  singular  discrimination,  when  one  reflects 
upon  it.  There  is  no  such  ban  on  the  names  of  Plato  or  Aris- 
totle, Csesar,  Alexander  or  the  Duke  of  Wellington,  Kaiser 
Wilhelm,  or  even  Abdul  Hamid.  Why  then  on  the  solitary 
name  of  Jesus?  Can  it  be  because  there  is  reason  to  fear  that 
some  of  the  little  people  might  come  to  believe  in  him?  In 
any  case,  the  interdict  itself  is  a  tremendous  tribute  to  the  in- 
fluence which  Christ  wields  in  the  world  to-day. 

Another  reason  why  everybody  wants  to  see  Jesus  is  be- 
cause he  has  divided  the  world  in  two. 

As  it  was  in  England  in  the  time  of  the  Stuarts,  when 
the  people  sharply  separated  into  two  parties — "Jacobites,"  or 
such  as  were  attached  to  the  cause  of  the  Pretender  James  III., 
and  such  as  were  opposed  to  him — so  is  the  population  of  the 
civilized  world  to-day  divided  into  Christians  or  friends  of 
Jesus,  on  the  one  hand,  and  non-Christians  on  the  other.  Half 
the  world  believes  him  to  be  the  Messiah,  as  he  claimed,  and 
the  other  half  denies  it. 

Line  up,  my  friend !  You  are  with  one  party  or  the  other; 
and  it  behooves  you  as  a  thoughtful  man  to  be  able  to  give 
a  reason  for  being  where  you  are. 

Still  another  reason  why  everybody  wants  to  see  Jesus  is 


WHY  WOULD   WE  SEE   HIM  t  9 

because  everybody  knows  that  he  needs  him  or  somebody  just 
like  him. 

You  and  I  need  a  prophet  or  teacher  who  is  able  to  advise 
us  as  to  the  problems  of  the  spiritual  life ;  we  need  a  priest 
who  is  able  to  atone  for  our  sins ;  and  we  need  a  kin^^  to  con- 
trol and  direct  us.  Here  is  One  who  claims  to  be  Prophet  and 
Priest  and  King-;  and  there  are  some  hundreds  of  millions  of 
people  in  the  world  who  have  thus  received  him.  It  is  natural 
that  you  should  want  to  see  him  in  order  to  discover  whether 
or  no  he  is  what  he  claims  to  be. 


II 

WHERE  CAN  HE  BE  FOUND? 

To  BEGIN  with,  in  the  Bible.  Here  is  where  the  chancellor 
cf  Queen  Candace  found  him.  It  was  on  the  desert  road  lead- 
ing down  to  Gaza  that,  sitting  in  his  chariot,  he  was  reading 
from  the  prophecy  of  Isaiah :  "Who  hath  believed  our  'mes- 
sage and  to  ivhom  hath  the  arm  of  Jehovah  been  revealed? 
For  he  grew  up  before  him  as  a  tender  plant,  and  as  a  root 
out  of  a  dry  ground;  he  hath  no  form  nor  comeliness ;  and 
ivhen  zve  see  him  there  is  no  beauty  that  ive  should  desire  him. 
He  zvas  despised  and  rejected  of  men,  a  man  of  sorrozvs  and 
acquainted  zvith  grief;  and  as  one  from  whom  men  hide  their 
face,  he  was. despised;  and  zve  esteemed  him  not."  As  the  man 
went  on  reading  he  was  joined  by  Philip  the  Evangelist,  who 
explained  to  him  that  Isaiah  referred  to  Jesus  of  Nazareth, 
who  had  come  into  the  world  to  suffer  and  die  for  our  salva- 
tion.   And  then  and  there,  seeing  Jesus,  he  accepted  him. 

The  Old  Testament  is  full  of  him.  He  walks  through  it 
from  Genesis  to  Malachi.  He  appears  under  many  guises  and 
many  names :  the  Seed  of  Woman,  the  Messiah,  the  Son  of 
David,  Immanuel,  the  Redeemer,  the  Counselor,  the  Man  of 
Sorrows,  Jehovah,  the  Angel  of  the  Covenant,  the  King  of 
Kings,  the  Rose  of  Sharon,  the  Lawgiver,  the  Avenger,  the 
Prince  of  Peace,  the  Lamb  of  God. 

And  the  New  Testament  contains  nothing  but  him.  The 
four  Gospels  are  biographies  of  Jesus  written  from  different 
standpoints  by  four  of  his  familiar  friends.  The  Acts  of  the 
Apostles  is  the  record  of  the  beginning  of  his  influence  in 
history  after  his  death.  The  Epistles  are  formulations  of  his 
teaching;  and  the  book  of  Revelation  is  a  prophecy  of  events 

10 


WHERE  CAN   HE  BE  FOUND?  II 

leading  on  to  his  final  advent  when  the  whole  world  shall  bow 
before  him. 

It  is  a  singular  thing,  nevertheless,  that  some  people  read 
the  Bible  and  do  not  see  Jesus.  Once  on  a  time  there  were  two 
disciples  who  walked  seven  miles  with  him  along  a  country 
road  and  yet  did  not  recognize  him ;  and  the  reason  given  is, 
"Their  eyes  were  holden  that  they  should  know  him  not." 
In  like  manner  one  may  read  his  Bible  with  eyes  holden,  and 
not  discover  Christ  at  all.  But  there  he  is,  looking  out  from 
every  page :  and  the  man  whose  eyes  are  open,  the  sincere  and 
unprejudiced  seeker  for  truth,  will  have  no  difficulty  in  finding 
him. 

Or,  failing  there,  suppose  we  search  for  him  in  the  newspa- 
pers. Look  at  some  of  the  headlines,  for  example :  "THE 
SUBLIME  PORTE  IN  TROUBLE." 

What  does  that  mean?  Not  only  that  the  unspeakable 
Turk  is  trembling  on  his  throne,  but  also  that  his  unspeakable 
superstition  is  passing.  The  Crescent  is  on  the  wane.  Thus 
all  false  religions  are  doomed  by  the  fatal  logic  of  events.  The 
path  of  history  is  lined  with  the  graveyards  of  so-called  re- 
ligions. The  paganism  o£  the  Pantheon,  the  philosophies  of 
Greece,  Zoroastrianism,  the  gods  of  Walhalla,  Confucianism, 
Brahmanism,  Buddhism,  all  alike  are  dead  or  moribund.  Islam 
alone  survives ;  the  religion  of  the  sword,  the  slave-pen  and  the 
harem.  Who  now  is  shaking  the  pillars  of  the  Sublime  Porte  ? 
Who  drove  Abdul  Hamid  from  his  throne?  The  Christ  of 
progress,  who  by  the  spreading  light  of  the  Evangel  has  been 
dissipating  darkness  all  along  the  centuries  and  is  now  invad- 
ing the  last  strongholds  of  the  shadow  of  death ! 

The  next  headline  reads:  "WOMEN  DEMAND  THE 
BALLOT." 

Whether  the  demand  is  just  or  not  we  do  not  here  presume 
to  say.  The  question  is :  How  have  women  come  into  a  posi- 
tion where  they  can  demand  anything?  Was  this  possible  be- 
fore the  beginning  of  the  Christian  era?  Were  the  women 
who  looked  forth  from  behind  the  lattices  of  the  Orient  able 
to  demand  anything  from  their  lords  and  masters?  Did  an- 
cient Egypt  or  Assyria  have  any  "sufTragettes"  ?  W^hat  has 
wrought  this  stupendous  change  in  the  relation  of  women  to 


12  WE   WOULD   SEE  JESUS 

the  social  fabric?  This  fact  and  this  only:  "The  God  of  all 
good  Christians  was  of  a  woman  born."  By  the  cumulative 
power  of  his  influence  he  has  so  exalted  womanhood  that  the 
very  names  of  wife  and  mother  and  sister  are  revered  among 
all  the  children  of  men. 

Take  another  of  the  headlines:  "CAR-DRIVERS  ON  A 
STRIKE." 

To  pass  judgment  on  the  merits  of  this  or  any  other  phase 
of  the  industrial  problems  is  not  germane  to  the  matter  in 
hand.  The  question  is :  How  have  the  laboring  classes  come 
into  such  independence  that  they  can  demand  an  increase  of 
wages  or  anything  else?  Did  the  men  who  drove  the  bullock- 
carts  in  Babylon  three  thousand  years  ago  ever  think  of  strik- 
ing for  higher  wages?  If  not,  why  not?  Because  they  were 
abject  slaves.  Who  liberated  them  ?  Jesus  the  carpenter,  who 
dignified  labor  for  evermore  by  taking  part  in  it ;  Jesus  the 
carpenter,  who  pronounced  that  great  manifesto  which  in  the 
process  of  the  years  has  introduced  the  wage-system  through- 
out the  civilized  world :  "The  laborer  is  worthy  of  his  hire !" 

One  more  headline :  "THE  CORNER  IN  WHEAT  BRO- 
KEN." 

It  appears  that  the  broker  who  organized  this  particular 
"corner"  has  been  driven  into  hiding  by  popular  indignation. 
What  is  back  of  this  ?  The  Egyptians  and  the  Assyrians  had 
corners  in  wheat,  and  who  cared?  But  many  things  have 
happened  since  then,  and  chief  and  foremost  among  these  hap- 
penings is  the  promulgation  of  Christ's  Golden  Rule,  "As  ye 
would  that  men  should  do  to  you,  do  ye  also  to  them  like- 
wise." 

It  is  obvious  from  such  happenings  as  these  that  the  world 
has  been  moving.  Has  it  been  moving  automatically?  No, 
nothing  moves  that  way,  not  even  the  great  ball  of  snow  which 
children  make  on  a  winter's  day.  There  must  be  something 
or  somebody  behind  it.  Who  is  behind  the  progress  of  these 
centuries?  Jesus  of  Nazareth!  His  hand  is  discernible  in 
every  great  movement  of  the  day.  He  is  behind  our  schools 
and  colleges,  our  hospitals  and  reformatories,  social  and  polit- 
ical reform,  civil  and  ecclesiastical  freedom,  light  and  civil- 
ization.   But  for  the  great  forces  of  his  gospel,  so  far  as  we 


WHERE  CAN  HE  BE  FOUND?  I3 

can  perceive,  the  world  would  have  stood  stock  still.  The 
Acts  of  the  Apostles  begins  with  a  reference  to  "all  that  Jesus 
began  both  to  do  and  to  teach,"  and  it  ends  with  a  dash — ■ 
because  the  "doing"  of  Jesus  which  then  began  is  still  going 
on. 

It  is  really  a  great  art  to  read  a  newspaper  in  the  right  way. 
The  philosophy  of  history  is  there ;  and  a  man  whose  eyes 
are  not  holden  is  certain  to  find  Christ  in  the  course  of  his 
reading.  But  suppose  he  fails  to  see  him  either  in  the  Bible 
or  the  newspaper,  where  else  shall  he  look  for  him? 

At  church.  The  reason  why  people  go  to  church  is  because 
they  expect  to  find  him  there.  The  bell  rings  thus,  "Come ! 
Come !  Come !  The  Lord  is  in  his  Holy  Temple !  Come  and 
worship  him !" 

The  man  in  the  pulpit  is  in  commission  and  under  bonds 
to  so  preach  Christ  that  the  people  shall  be  able  to  see  him. 
He  has  entered  into  a  covenant  vow  to  lift  something  up ;  and 
that  something  is  not  himself  but  Christ ;  as  Christ  himself 
said,  "I,  if  I  be  lifted  up  from  the  earth,  will  draw  all  men 
unto  myself !"  He  is  the  great  magnet.  His  is  the  drawing 
power.  All  adventitious  attractions  are  ruled  out.  Art, 
science,  philosophy,  politics,  the  hurdy-gurdy  and  the  stereop- 
ticon  are  not  helps  but  hindrances  except  as  they  contribute  to 
the  seeing  of  Jesus  in  the  house  of  God. 

It  happens  now  and  then  that  people  who  go  to  church  to 
see  Jesus  are  disappointed.  I  once  attended  a  service  in  Ire- 
land on  a  holy  day,  in  answer  to  an  announcement  that  Jesus 
was  to  be  seen  there  entombed  and  awaiting  his  resurrection ; 
but  the  space  before  the  altar  was  so  covered  with  votive  offer- 
ings of  flowers  as  to  completely  hide  the  sepulcher  from  view. 
Not  infrequently,  in  like  manner,  the  worshippers'  view  of 
Jesus  is  obscured  by  flowers  of  speech,  of  music  or  of  cere- 
monialism. But  the  church  is  his  sanctuary;  and  usually  the 
worshipper  can  there  commune  with  him  and  go  away  grate- 
fully saying,  "I  have  seen  Jesus." 

But  failing  even  there,  where  shall  the  seeker  look  for  him  ? 
Let  him  inquire  within. 

If  he  be  a  Christian  he  is  able  to  say,  "It  is  no  longer  I  that 
live,  but  Christ  liveth  in  me."     Otherwise  he  will  not  find 


14  "we  would  see  jesus^* 

Christ  within.    Then  what?    The  heart  is  an  aching  void  with- 
out him. 

But  the  seeker  is  sure  to  find  two  things  within,  in  any  case. 
One  is  sin,  felt  and  acknowledged  sin.  To  persuade  men  of 
sin  is  like  carrying  coals  to  Newcastle,  since  every  one  is 
aware  of  it.  And  the  other  is  a  conscious  desire  to  be  deliv- 
ered from  the  consequences  of  sin.  This  also  is  intuitive  and 
universal,  as  witness  all  the  altars  of  the  earth  and  all  the 
bended  knees. 

It  may  be,  however,  that  some  reader  of  these  lines  is  say- 
ing, "I  have  not  yet  seen  Jesus."  If  so,  my  friend,  here 
and  now  you  shall  look  upon  him. 

Let  me  make  the  vision  clear.  Jesus  came  into  this  world 
of  ours,  out  of  his  pre-existent  glory,  to  expiate  our  sins.  He 
took  our  flesh  upon  him,  that  he  might  be  able  to  suffer;  and 
kept  his  Godhood  also,  that  he  might  be  able  to  suffer  suffi- 
ciently for  all.  He  lived  as  a  man  among  men ;  preached  such 
sermons  respecting  the  problems  of  the  spiritual  life  that  his 
hearers  were  moved  to  say,  "Never  man  spake  like  this  man ;" 
and  wrought  such  wonderful  works  of  grace  and  mercy  that 
those  who  beheld  were  moved  to  ask,  "When  the  Christ  shall 
come  will  he  do  more?" 

But  this  was  not  his  main  errand :  he  had  come  to  die  for 
the  world's  sin.  No,  let  us  make  it  more  personal — he  came 
to  die,  my  friend,  for  your  sins,  for  yours  as  really  as  if  there 
had  been  no  other  sinner  in  the  world  but  you.  To  that  end 
he  "set  his  face  steadfastly"  toward  the  cross ;  and  there  he 
hung  in  mortal  agony  for  six  mortal  hours,  groaning  under 
the  burden  of  your  sins,  till  his  great  heart  broke  and  he  cried, 
"It  is  finished !"  By  this  he  meant  that  he  had  accomplished  all 
that  God  himself  could  do  to  save  you. 

And  then,  rising  triumphant  over  death,  he  sent  forth  his 
messengers,  of  whom  I  am  one,  to  say,  as  I  say  now,  that  all 
the  benefits  of  that  redeeming  work  are  to  be  secured  by  simple 
faith  in  him.  Faith  is  acceptance,  a  hand  stretched  forth  to 
take.  This  is  the  sole  condition:  he  that  believeth  shall  enter 
into  life!  Do  you  believe?  You  have  seen  Jesus:  do  you  ac- 
cept him?     If  so,  it  only  remains  to  prove  the  sincerity  of 


WHERE  CAN   HE  BE  FOUND?  1^ 

your  faith  by  publicly  confessing  him  and  then  going  forth 
to  follow  him. 

We  do  not  know  the  outcome  of  this  interview  of  the 
Greeks  with  Jesus.  They  saw  him  and  conversed  with  him ; 
but  did  they  accept  him  ?  Let  us  hope  they  went  away  rejoic- 
ing in  him.  But  perhaps  not.  The  Greeks  were  the  philos- 
ophers of  their  time ;  and  to  those  who  are  wise  in  their  own 
conceit  the  story  of  Christ  crucified  is  "foolishness."  But  there 
was  one  school  of  philosophers  who  were  ready  to  accept  the 
truth  wherever  they  found  it ;  they  were  called  "Zetetics,"  or 
seekers.  To  all  such  Christ  is  commended  as  "the  wisdom 
and  the  power  of  God." 

Are  you,  frankly  and  without  prejudice,  seeking  a  Saviour? 
The  promise  is,  "Ye  shall  seek  me  and  find  me  when  ye  shall 
search  for  me  with  all  your  heart."  If  you  are  seeking  him 
thus,  putting  away  self-will  and  prejudice,  it  is  quite  certain 
that  you  will  find  him.  For  the  seeking  sinner  ever  finds  a 
seeking  Saviour ;  and,  finding  the  chiefest  of  ten  thousand, 
how  can  he  fail  to  accept  him? 


Ill 

WHO  IS  HE? 

A  VISIT  to  the  Jordan  will,  perhaps,  satisfy  us  on  that 
point.  John  the  Baptist  had  been  going  up  and  down  crying, 
''Repent  ye;  for  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  is  at  hand!  Pre- 
pare ye  the  way  for  the  coming  of  one  the  latchet  of  whose 
shoes  I  am  not  worthy  to  stoop  down  and  unloose !"  He  was 
now  at  the  ford  of  Bethabara  baptizing  his  converts  with  "the 
baptism  of  repentance  unto  the  remission  of  sins."  The  tower- 
ing cliffs  by  the  river  echoed  his  cry,  "Repent  ye !  Repent 
ye!"  Thieves  and  harlots  came  bowing  low,  and  he  baptized 
them.  Publicans  came  professing  sorrow  for  sin,  and  he  bap- 
tized them.  Soldiers  came  promising  to  quit  their  evil  ways, 
and  he  baptized  them.  Scribes  and  Pharisees  came,  and  he 
baptized  them  not,  but  cried,  "Ye  offspring  of  vipers,  who 
hath  warned  you  to  flee  from  the  wrath  to  come?  Bring  forth 
fruits  meet  for  repentance.  For  the  Seed  of  woman  cometh  to 
bruise  the  serpent's  head.  The  Winnower  cometh  to  purge  his 
floor;  he  will  gather  the  wheat  into  his  garner  and  burn  up 
the  chaff  with  unquenchable  fire.  The  Messiah  cometh  to 
deliver  the  world  from  sin  1" 

It  came  to  pass,  on  one  of  those  days,  that  Jesus  the  car- 
penter left  his  shop  at  Nazareth  and  never  went  back  to  it. 
The  clock  had  struck.  The  fields  were  white  unto  the  harvest 
and  with  sickle  in  hand  he  went  forth.  In  his  heart  he  had 
long  been  saying,  "I  have  a  baptism  to  be  baptized  with ;  and 
how  am  I  straitened  till  it  be  accomplished !"  He  now  tight- 
ened his  girdle  and,  with  staff  in  hand,  set  forth  upon  a  jour- 
ney which  was  not  to  end  until,  having  accomplished  his  mis- 
sion, he  should  return  to  the  glory  which  he  had  with  the 
Father  before  the  world  was. 

,i6 


WHO  IS  HE?  17 

He  turned  his  steps  toward  the  south  and,  pursuing  the 
mountain  road  which  skirted  the  historic  battlefield  of  Es- 
draelon,  came  out  at  length  into  the  valley  of  the  Jordan.  At 
the  water's  edge  stood  the  prophet  of  the  wilderness  with  the 
people  about  him.  His  voice  rang  clear  above  the  murmur  of 
the  river  and  the  voices  of  the  multitude,  "Repent  ye !  Re- 
pent ye !"  And  Jesus,  making  his  way  through  the  throng,  pre- 
sented himself  to  John,  saying,  "I  also  would  be  baptized  of 
thee."  John  answered,  "Nay,  not  thou,  the  Sinless  One !  I 
have  need  to  be  baptized  of  thee;  and  comest  thou  to  me?" 
But  Jesus  said,  "Suffer  it  now ;  for  thus  it  becometh  us  to 
fulfil  all  righteousness."  And  thereupon,  as  a  penitent,  he 
was  baptized  "for  the  remission  of  sins." 

How  could  that  be?  Why  should  he,  who  alone  of  living 
men  was  without  sin,  be  thus  baptized  with  the  baptism  of 
repentance  ? 

The  event  has  a  profound  significance.  It  marked  the  be- 
ginning of  the  ministry  of  Jesus.  He  here  received  his  cre- 
dentials as  the  Alessiah  or  "Hope  of  Israel."  The  three  dis- 
tinctive titles  by  which  this  Messiah  was  familiarly  known 
among  the  Jews  were  these,  "Son  of  Man,"  "Son  of  David," 
and  "Son  of  God" ;  and  they  were  typified  ia  the  ceremony  of 
this  day's  baptism. 

He  ivas  truly  the  Son  of  Man.  He  was  indeed  a  veritable 
man.  His  flesh  was  shown  to  be  like  our  flesh,  quivering  un- 
der pain  and  weary  with  labor  at  the  close  of  day.  His  mind 
was  like  our  mind ;  so  that  "he  grew  in  wisdom."  His  con- 
science was  like  our  conscience,  able  to  distinguish  between 
right  and  wrong.  He  was  "tempted  in  all  points  like  as  we 
are,  yet  without  sin."  His  body  never  triumphed  over  his 
soul ;  his  mind  was  never  clouded  with  a  veil  of  darkness ;  his 
conscience  was  never  warped  or  deflected  from  the  right.  He 
was  human,  like  us,  only  without  sin.  The  first  Adam  yielded 
to  temptation  and  fell ;  the  second  Adam  ate  of  no  forbidden 
fruit.     He  was  absolutely  without  sin. 

How  then  could  he  be  baptized  unto  repentance,  for  the 
remission  of  sins?  In  order  to  answer  that  question  we  must 
pass  on  to  the  next  of  the  Messianic  titles. 

In  his  baptism  he  was  also  publicly  shozvn  to  be  the  Son 


i8  "we  would  see  jesus'^ 

of  David.  He  was  of  the  chosen  people  and  of  its  royal  line. 
For  "Salvation  is  of  the  Jews."  As  a  Jew  he  was  "made  un- 
der the  law."  Wherefore  it  became  him  to  fulfill  all  righteous- 
ness. He  submitted  to  the  ordinance  of  baptism  as  a  Levitical 
prescript.  The  time  would  come  when  this  ordinance  would 
be  merged  into  another  form  of  baptism  of  larger  significance ; 
but  as  yet  it  was  of  binding  force,  and  it  devolved  upon  him 
as  a  true  Israelite  to  bow  obediently  to  it.  In  the  Old  Econo- 
my there  were  ablutions  of  divers  kinds.  The  priests  and 
Levites  were  required  to  purge  themselves  at  the  laver. 
Proselytes  were  received  into  the  Jewish  Church  in  the  same 
way.  Here,  at  Bethabara,  instead  of  the  laver  was  the  flowing 
river,  and  instead  of  the  gilded  roof  of  the  Temple  was  the 
over-arching  sky ;  but  the  ordinance  was  the  same.  It  was 
meet  that  Jesus  should  submit  to  it. 

Moreover,  as  the  Son  of  David  he  was  made  not  only  un- 
der the  ceremonial  but  under  the  moral  law.  This  is  the  law 
whose  verdict  is,  "The  soul  that  sinneth  it  shall  die."  It  is 
the  Author  of  that  law  who  now  presents  himself  as  a  peni- 
tent to  pass  under  its  yoke !  Thus  it  is  written,  "Who  existing 
in  the  form  of  God,  counted  not  the  being  on  an  equality  with 
God  a  thing  to  grasp,  but  emptied  himself,  taking  the  form 
of  a  servant,  being  made  in  the  likeness  of  men  ;  and  being 
found  in  fashion  as  a  man,  he  humbled  himself,  becoming 
obedient  even  unto  death."  The  very  depth  of  this  self-empty- 
ing was  reached  when,  as  a  penitent,  he  presented  himself  to 
be  baptized  for  the  remission  of  sins. 

He  was,  indeed,  the  Sinless  One.  There  was  no  guile  in 
his  heart,  no  guile  on  his  lips ;  yet  our  sins  were  imputed  to 
him.  There  lies  .the  deep  secret  of  his  atoning  grace.  He  so 
appropriated  our  sins  that  they  became,  as  it  were,  his  very 
own.  In  order  to  suffer  vicariously  for  us  he  must  identify 
himself  with  us.  In  order  to  serve  as  our  substitute  at  the  bar 
of  the  offended  law  he  must,  as  it  were,  change  personalities 
with  us.  In  order  to  bear  the  death  sentence  which  had  been 
pronounced  upon  us  he  must  appropriate  our  guilt.  He  must 
lose  his  own  self-consciousness  in  the  consciousness  of  our 
despairing  need ;  and  must  be  penitent  for  our  transgressions 
as  if  they  were  his  very  own.    He  must  come  with  us  into  the 


WHO   IS   HE?  19 

bondage  of  the  law  if  he  is  to  deliver  us  into  the  glorious  liber- 
ty of  the  children  of  God. 

So  he  approached  the  water's  edge  bearing,  like  Atlas,  the 
world's  burden  upon  him.  Of  all  who  came  that  day  to  ask 
for  the  baptism  of  repentance  he  alone  could  say,  "I  need  it 
not" ;  yet  as  the  world's  substitute  he  needed  it  most  of  all. 
His  challenge  was  "Who  layeth  anything  to  my  charge?"  Yet 
he  voluntarily  bore  the  charge  of  immeasurable  guilt.  He  was 
holy,  harmless  and  undefiled ;  yet  here  he  stood,  the  sinless  sin- 
ner of  the  world !  It  was  the  sinful  world  that,  in  him  as  its 
divine  substitute,  came  down  to  Bethabara  to  be  baptized  unto 
repentance.  Thus  he  fitly  began  the  Campaign  of  Redemption 
which  was  to  end  in  his  tasting  death  for  every  man. 

Is  the  thought  abhorrent  ?  Aye,  infinitely  so !  But  the  fault 
is  ours.  The  further  we  follow  him  into  his  ministry  the 
more  abhorrent  will  it  seem.  We  shall  see  him  bowing  under 
the  olive-trees  in  Gethsemane  and  pressing  to  his  lips  a  purple 
cup  in  which  is  the  world's  sin.  It  is  the  broken  law  that  pre- 
sents it  to  his  lips,  saying,  "The  soul  that  sinneth  it  shall  die !" 
Every  nerve  and  sinew  of  his  body  quivers  and  shrinks  from 
it.  He  cries,  "My  Father,  if  it  be  possible  let  this  cup  pass 
away  from  me !"  He  sweats  as  it  were  great  drops'  of  blood 
as  he  passes  into  the  deep  darkness  of  vicarious  conviction. 
He  cannot  save  the  world  until  he  makes  that  cup  of  death  his 
own.  At  length  he  cries,  "Not  what  I  will,  but  what  thou 
wilt !"  So,  passing  into  the  awful  consciousness  of  the  world's 
guilt,  he  drinks  the  bitter  cup. 

If  we  follow  him  to  Golgotha,  we  shall  see  him,  at  the 
very  climax  of  his  vicarious  pain,  descending  lower  and  lower 
into  the  penalty  of  sin,  until  at  length  the  silence  of  the  un- 
natural night  is  broken  with  a  cry  such  as  the  world  had  never 
heard  before  and  shall  never  hear  again,  "Eloi,  Eloi,  lama  sa- 
bachthani!"  that  is,  "My  God,  my  God,  why  hast  thou  for- 
saken me?"  What  is  death  but  exile  from  God?  What  hell 
could  be  more  frightful  than  divine  abandonment?  This  is 
the  deepest  depth  of  his  substitutionary  pain.  He  bore  it  to 
the  uttermost,  that  he  might  take  away  forevermore  the  shame, 
the  penalty  and  the  bondage  of  our  sin.  Thus  it  is  written, 
"Him  who  knew  no  sin  he  made  to  be  sin  on  our  behalf ;  that 


20  WE  WOULD  SEE  JESUS 

we  might  become  the  righteousness  of  God  in  him."  And 
again  that  he  was  made  "a  curse  for  us,  for  it  is  written, 
Cursed  is  every  one  that  hangeth  on  a  tree."  So  in  our  historic 
creed  we  say,  with  reason,  "He  descended  into  hell !" 

In  this  baptism  of  Jesus  he  was  moreover  designated  as 
the  Son  of  God.  We  have  seen  him  taking  his  place,  with 
those  who  thronged  to  the  water's  edge,  as  the  Son  of  Man. 
Thus  he  pushes  his  way  to  our  side,  consenting  to  be  numbered 
with  transgressors  in  seeking  the  remission  of  their  sins. 

We  have  seen  him  also,  as  the  Son  of  David,  bowing  his 
head,  not  only  to  the  prescript  of  the  ceremonial  law,  but  to 
the  dark  sentence  of  the  moral  law.  Hosanna  to  the  Son  of 
David ! 

It  remains  for  him  to  verify  his  title  as  the  Son  of  God. 
This  he  must  do  if  he  would  be  mighty  to  save  even  unto  the 
uttermost  all  that  will  come  unto  him. 

Behold  now  three  marvelous  things  which  occurred  at  his 
baptism,  by  which  a  threefold  testimony  was  given  to  his 
mission  as  the  veritable  Son  of  God. 

First,  the  heavens  were  opened  as  if  to  signify  the  interest 
of  angels  and  archangels  and  saints  triumphant  in  the  great 
campaign  which  was  about  to  begin.  And  we  shall  see  that 
heavenly  host  attending  him  all  along  the  way. 

Then,  a  voice  was  heard  saying,  "This  is  my  beloved  Son, 
in  zvliom  I  am  well  pleased."  There  are  other  sons  of  God ; 
but  he  alone  is,  by  eminence,  the  well  beloved.  There  are 
many  sons ;  but  he  is  the  only-begotten  Son.  There  are  many 
younger  sons ;  but  he  is  the  "firstborn  among  many  brethren." 
He  stands  solitary  and  alone  as  the  Father's  co-equal  Son,  of 
whom  it  is  written,  "Thou  art  my  Son ;  this  day  have  I  be- 
gotten thee.  Ask  of  me  and  I  will  give  thee  the  nations  for 
thine  inheritance  and  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth  for  thy 
possession."  Did  Jesus  ever  ask  that?  On  the  cross  his 
stretched-out  hands  uttered  the  mightiest  prayer  that  ever  was 
ofifered :  "Give  me,  O  Father,  the  nations  for  my  inheritance 
and  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth  for  my  possession !"  Is 
he  cut  off  in  the  midst  of  his  days?  Is  he  "without  genera- 
tion"? Nay,  "he  shall  see  his  seed,  he  shall  prolong  his  days, 
and  the  pleasure  of  the  Lord  shall  prosper  in  his  hand."    We 


WHO    IS    HE?  21 

are  "the  fruit  of  the  travail  of  his  soul";  and  the  gates  of 
heaven  are  thronged  with  a  great  multitude  who'  through  him 
have  received  the  spirit  of  adoption  whereby  they  cry,  "Abba, 
Father !"  They  are  all  sinners  saved  by  grace ;  and  unto  him 
they  ascribe  the  praise. 

Lastly,  the  Spirit  as  a  dove  descended  upon  him.  Thus 
we  are  given  to  understand  that  the  three  Persons  of  the 
ineffable  Godhead,  the  Father,  the  Son  and  the  Holy  Ghost, 
are  in  mutual  accord  and  co-operation  at  the  outset  of  the 
ministry  of  Christ. 

This  is  his  inauguration.  At  his  baptism  he  receives  his 
credentials  as  the  long-looked-for  Messiah  and  shows  himself 
ready  for  the  task  before  him.  His  face  will  henceforth  be 
"set  steadfastly"  toward  the  cross.  All  along  the  way  we  shall 
find  him  persistently  claiming  his  Messiahship  as  indicated  in 
the  three  titles.  We  shall  see  him  presently  returning  to  his 
home  at  Nazareth ;  where  he  announces  the  fulfillment  of  the 
Messianic  prophecy,  "The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is  upon  me,  be- 
cause he  anointed  me  to  preach  good  tidings,"  saying,  "To- 
day hath  this  scripture  been  fulfilled  in  your  ears."  We  shall 
see  him  pausing  at  Jacob's  well  to  converse  with  a  sinful  wo- 
man ;  to  whose  deep  longing  for  the  coming  of  the  Messiah  he 
answers,  "I  that  speak  unto  thee  am  he !"  We  shall  hear  him 
in  his  itineraries  among  the  villages  of  Galilee  claim- 
ing always  that  he  is  the  Christ.  We  shall  see  him  in 
the  Mount  of  Transfiguration,  his  homespun  garments  flutter- 
ing aside  to  reveal  the  royal  purple,  while  his  face  is  "as  the 
sun  shining  in  his  strength."  We  shall  see  him  standing  in  the 
presence  of  the  Sanhedrin ;  and  when  the  High  Priest  cries,  "I 
adjure  thee,  by  the  living  God,  that  thou  tell  us  whether  thou 
art  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  God,"  we  shall  hear  him  answer- 
ing, "I  am."  We  shall  hear  Pilate  asking,  "Art  thou  the  King 
of  the  Jews  ?"  that  is,  the  Messiah ;  and  his  reply  is  couched 
in  the  strongest  possible  terms  of  affirmation,  "Thou  sayest." 
We  shall  see  him  hanging  on  the  cross  with  the  titulum  above 
his  head,  on  which  his  Messianic  title  is  inscribed,  "The  King 
of  the  Jews."  And  if  we  pass  on  to  Olivet  we  shall  see  him 
ascending  from  the  midst  of  his  disciples  into  the  open  heav- 
ens, where  now  he  sits  upon  his  Messianic  throne,  "expecting, 


22  WE   WOULD   SEE   JESUS 

until  his  enemies  be  made  the  footstool  of  his  feet,"  while  the 
redeemed  host,  a  great  multitude  that  no  man  can  number,  as- 
cribe unto  him  glory  and  honor  and  power  and  dominion  for- 
ever and  ever. 

And  there  by  God's  grace  we  shall  see  him.  Aye,  we  shall 
see  him  with  these  eyes.  Hisce  ociilis!  When  we  appear  to  give 
an  account  of  the  deeds  done  in  the  body,  and  all  alike  plead 
guilty,  we  shall  hear  him  say,  "I  bore  thy  sins  in  mine  own  body 
on  the  tree.  I  was  wounded  for  thy  transgressions  and  bruised 
for  thine  iniquities,  that  by  my  stripes  thou  mightest  be  healed. 
1  promised  life  to  all  who  would  believe  in  me.  My  promise 
is  Yea  and  Amen.  Wherefore  enter  into  the  joy  of  thy  Lord. 
Thy  sins,  which  were  many,  are  forgiven  thee." 

The  day  after  this  baptism,  as  John  was  standing  by  the 
Jordan  with  two  of  his  disciples,  he  saw  Jesus  in  the  distance 
and  said,  "Behold  the  Lamb  of  God!"  The  two  disciples  im- 
mediately left  John  and  followed  Jesus.  In  this  they  showed 
themselves  to  be  reasonable  men.  "Seeing  is  believing" ;  but 
"faith  without  works  is  dead."  What  could  they  do  but  fol- 
low him? 


IV 

WHAT  SHALL  THE  DOUBTER  DO? 

A  GROUP  of  young  men  were  bound  together  by  a  com- 
mon interest  in  "the  Hope  of  Israel" ;  that  is,  the  hope  of  the 
Messiah,  whom  for  centuries  "kings  and  prophets  had  longed 
to  see  and  died  without  the  sight."  There  was  a  feeling  every- 
where that  "the  fulness  of  time"  was  at  hand.  Rabbis  were 
searching  the  oracles  and  astrologers  were  scrutinizing  the 
heavens  for  signs  of  his  appearing.  Expectancy  was  in  the 
air. 

These  young  men  were  not  of  noble  birth,  like  the  knights 
of  the  Round  Table  who  went  in  quest  of  the  Holy  Grail,  but 
humble  men,  most  of  them  fishermen.  They  had  been  reading 
their  Bibles  and  conferring  with  one  another  concerning  the 
matter  nearest  to  their  hearts.  They  were  greatly  perplexed 
by  the  paradoxical  terms  in  the  Messianic  prophecies ;  now  he 
was  spoken  of  as  a  King,  with  "the  government  upon  his 
shoulder,"  and  again  as  "a  man  of  sorrows  and  acquainted 
with  griefs."  He  was  to  reign  from  the  river  unto  the  ends 
of  the  earth,  but  he  was  also  to  be  led  from  prison  and  judg- 
ment to  an  ignominious  death.    How  could  these  things  be? 

It  was  reported  that  Jesus,  a  carpenter  of  Nazareth,  who 
was  going  about  proclaiming  himself  to  be  the  Messiah,  was 
doing  so  many  wonderful  works  and  preaching  so  eloquently 
that  multitudes  were  thronging  after  him. 

John  the  Prophet  of  the  Wilderness  was  preaching  and 
baptizing  at  the  fords  of  the  Jordan ;  and  these  young  men 
went  to  hear  him.  Strange  to  say  they  heard  John  approve  of 
the  carpenter's  claims !  He  said,  "This  is  he  that  cometh  after 
me,  whose  shoe's  latchet  I  am  not  worthy  to  unloose."     On 

23 


24  WE  WOULD  SEE  JFSUS" 

seeing  Jesus  walking-  by  the  river  he  cried,  "Behold  the  Lamb 
of  God !" 

All  of  these  young  men  but  one  were  satisfied  that  Jesus 
was  the  Christ.  Nathanael  held  out.  He  could  not  reconcile 
the  humble  station  of  Jesus  with  the  glowing  prophecies  of 
Scripture.  So  when  Philip  came  to  him  saying,  "We  have 
found  him  of  whom  Moses  in  the  law  and  the  prophets,  wrote," 
his  answer  was,  "Can  any  good  thing  come  out  of  Nazareth  ?" 

The  fact  that  Nathanael  was  a  doubter  was  nothing  against 
him. 

For  that  matter,  we  are  all  doubters.  The  great  problems  of 
the  eternal  life  are  constantly  before  us ;  and  I  seriously  ques- 
tion if  there  is  any  living  man  who  does  not  at  times  feel  a 
trembling  of  his  faith — like  the  oscillation  of  the  magnetic 
needle  in  the  compass — as  to  God  and  immortality  and  all  the 
great  propositions  which  lie  within  the  province  of  the  un- 
seen and  eternal.  And  I  am  inclined  to  think  that  all  these 
doubts  are  centered  at  a  common  point,  namely:  "Has  God 
revealed  himself  to  men?"  or,  in  other  words,  "Is  Jesus  the 
Christ?"  That  is  the  vital  question.  Let  that  be  answered, 
and  all  other  problems  are  easy  of  solution.  If  Jesus  is  the 
Christ,  if  he  is  "the  fulness  of  the  Godhead  bodily,"  then  all 
perplexities  as  to  life  and  immortality  are  brought  to  light ; 
then  a  ransom  has  been  provided  for  sin  ;  then  God  "can  be  just 
and  yet  the  justifier  of  the  ungodly" ;  then  those  who  believe 
can  look  forward  to  "an  inheritance  incorruptible  and  unde- 
filed  and  that  fadeth  not  away" ;  then  heaven  is  our  home  and 
we  are  pilgrims  living  our  life  here  with  a  view  to  life  eter- 
nal, and  moving  on  toward  "a  better  country  and  a  city  that 
hath  foundations,  whose  Builder  and  Maker  is  God." 

But  just  here  is  where  doubt  begins.  "Can  any  good  thing 
come  out  of  Nazareth  ?"  Is  it  possible  that  this  Man  in  home- 
spun, who  proclaimed  himself  to  be  the  King  eternal,  immor- 
tal, invisible,  and  who  died  for  "making  himself  equal  with 
God,"  was  what  he  claimed  to  be  ? 

It  was  seven  hundred  years  before  the  Advent  that  Isaiah 
wrote,  "Who  hath  believed  our  report;  and  to  whom  is  the 
arm  of  the  Lord  revealed?  .  .  .  He  is  despised  and  re- 
jected of  men ;  and  we  hid  as  it  were  our  faces  from  him." 


WHAT    SHALL   THE  DOUBTER   DO?  2$ 

The  attitude  of  men  with  reference  to  Christ  has  never 
changed.  Paul  echoed  the  prophet's  lament  in  these  words: 
"The  Jews  ask  for  signs  and  Greeks  seek  after  wisdom ;  but 
we  preach  Christ  crucified,  unto  Jews  a  stumbling-block  and 
unto  Gentiles  foolishness,  but  unto  them  that  are  called,  both 
Jews  and  Greeks,  Christ  the  power  of  God  and  the  wisdom 
of  God." 

But  while  Nathanael  erred  at  this  point  of  common  de- 
parture from  faith,  there  were  other  considerations  which 
made  his  case  a  hopeful  one. 

He  zvas  a  devout  man.  It  would  appear  that  he  had  a  tryst- 
ing-place  under  a  certain  fig-tree.  The  habit  of  retirement  for 
prayer  and  meditation  was  common  to  the  Orientals  of  those 
days.  The  shadow  of  the  fig-tree  was  this  man's  closet,  where 
he  retired  that  he  might  be  alone  with  God.  It  was  here  that 
Nathanael  gave  himself  to  earnest  thought.  The  truth-seeker 
must  always  arrive  at  his  destination  by  a  pathway  of  his 
own.  He  may  attend  church  to  hear  the  argument ;  but  he 
must  go  apart  by  himself  to  consider  it.  He  cannot  farm 
out  his  thinking  to  any  church  or  ecclesiastical  court,  to  any 
Pope  or  College  of  Cardinals,  to  any  minister  or  mortal  man. 
He  must  do  his  own  thinking,  else  he  will  never  solve  the 
problem  whether  Jesus  is  the  Christ  or  not. 

It  was  here,  under  the  fig-tree,  that  he  turned  to  the 
oracles  for  the  satisfaction  of  his  doubt.  We  search  the  Scrip- 
tures for  light.  The  first  Bible  that  I  ever  owned  was  given 
me  by  my  mother,  on  the  fly-leaf  of  which  was  written  in  her 
dear  hand,  "The  entrance  of  thy  Word  giveth  light."  The 
Book  is  like  a  mountain-top  to  which  a  man  climbs  that  he 
may  behold  the  break  of  day.  He  who  doubts  as  to  the  deity 
of  Jesus  need  not  expect  to  solve  the  problem  unless  he  is 
willing  to  "search  the  Scriptures,"  for  "these  are  they  which 
bear  witness  of  me,"  said  Jesus. 

It  was  in  this  trysting-place  that  Nathanael  was  accustomed 
to  offer  his  prayer  for  light ;  a  prayer  which  God  is  always 
more  willing  to  answer  than  we  are  to  offer  it. 

And  this  is  all  that  Christ  asks.  He  calls  for  a  calm,  pray- 
erful, intehigent  and  unbiased  consideration  of  his  claims: 
"Come  now  and  let  us  reason  together."    He  does  not  appeal 


26  "VVE   WOULD   SEE  JESUS'' 

to  credulous  simpletons  or  to  indolent  dullards  who  are  gov- 
erned by  hearsay,  but  addresses  himself  to  the  common  sense  of 
the  average  man.  He  bids  us  weigh  the  evidence  pro  and 
contra,  weigh  it  well,  and  decide  whether  he  is  the  Christ  or 
not. 

So  far,  then,  there  was  hope  for  Nathanael ;  because, 
though  a  doubter,  he  was  facing  the  problem  for  himself,  like 
a  man.     But  this  is  not  all. 

He  was  an  honest  man.  Otherwise  Jesus  would  not  have 
referred  to  him  as  "an  Israelite  in  whom  is  no  guile." 

By  this  we  are  to  understand  that  he  was  without  preju- 
dice. Doubt  is  common  to  all,  owing  to  the  prevalence  of  sin ; 
but  prejudice  is  a  deep-rooted  aversion  to  truth.  Doubt  is  a 
film  over  the  eyes,  which  may  be  removed ;  but  prejudice  is  a 
disease  of  the  optic  nerve.  Doubt  is  a  fog  rising  from  the 
low  valley  of  sin,  which  vanishes  at  the  break  of  day ;  but 
prejudice  is  a  miasm  which  no  sunlight  can  dispel.  Doubt  is 
a  ship  becalmed,  which  a  rising  wind  can  speed  upon  her  way ; 
but  prejudice  is  a  ship  with  an  anchor  astern  and  a  hawser 
at  her  bow,  which  only  a  cyclone  can  move.  Doubters  are 
healed  of  their  blindness  by  the  divine  touch ;  but  prejudice 
requires  a  miracle ;  as  in  the  case  of  Saul  of  Tarsus,  a  sun- 
burst straight  from  God! 

The  mind  is  so  perverted  by  prejudice  that  no  evidence  can 
affect  it.  Prejudice  is  pre-judgment.  When  a  case  is  pre- 
judged there  is  nothing  more  to  be  said.  A  man  who  has 
"made  up  his  mind"  on  a  case  pending  in  court  is  rejected  as 
a  juror  because  argument  will  not  avail  with  him.  There  is 
many  a  man  who  calls  himself  an  honest  doubter,  with  refer- 
ence to  the  deity  of  Jesus,  who  is  simply  an  out-and-out  in- 
fidel, because  he  has  prejudged  the  case.  His  mind  is  so  made 
up  that  evidence  cannot  change  it. 

The  heart  likewise  is  so  affected  by  prejudice  that  truth 
cannot  enter  it.  It  has  many  guests,  like  the  Inn  at  Bethle- 
hem, such  as  avarice,  sensuality,  inordinate  ambition ;  but 
Christ  knocks  in  vain. 

It  is  related  that  when  Paul,  in  the  judgment  hall  at  Csesa- 
rea,  told  of  his  own  conversion  and  of  the  death  and  resur- 
rection, Agrippa  was  so  impressed  that  he  said,  "Almost  thou 


-     WHAT   SHALL   THE  DOUBTER  DO?  2'J 

persuadest  me  to  be  a  Christian."  In  fact,  however,  he  was 
far  from  being  "persuaded."  He  was  convinced  but  set 
against  Christ,  because  his  heart  was  wholly  preoccupied.  It 
was  full  of  his  mistress,  Bernice,  who  sat  beside  him. 

The  young  ruler  who  came  running  to  Jesus  and  pros- 
trated himself,  crying,  "Good  Teacher,  what  shall  I  do  that  I 
may  inherit  eternal  life?"  was  in  no  condition  to  consider  the 
problem  of  eternal  life,  because  his  heart  was  filled  with  the 
passionate  love  of  gold.  It  was  for  this  reason  that  Jesus  said, 
"Go  part  with  everything  that  thou  hast ;  then  come  and  fol- 
low me."  In  other  words,  the  preoccupation  of  the  heart  must 
be  disposed  of  by  repentance  before  Christ  can  enter  in. 

The  will,  in  like  manner,  is  so  stiffened  by  prejudice  that 
any  vital  grasp  of  truth  is  impossible.  When  Galileo  was 
summoned  before  the  Inquisition  to  be  tried  for  heresy,  in  that 
he  affirmed  the  revolution  of  the  earth,  he  said  to  his  judges, 
"I  can  convince  you.  Here  is  my  telescope ;  look  through  it, 
and  you  shall  see  the  moons  of  Jupiter!"  But  they  refused  to 
look.  They  were  convinced  that  the  earth  did  not  revolve 
around  the  sun,  and  no  amount  of  evidence  could  unconvince 
them. 

In  such  a  case,  where  mind,  heart  and  will  are  warped 
against  truth,  there  is  little  or  no  hope.  A  doubter  of  this,  sort 
is  self-doomed  to  unbelief.  He  thinks  obliquely,  prays,  if  at 
all,  to  himself  and  reads  the  Bible  with  jaundiced  eyes.  Jesus 
told  the  Pharisees  that  it  was  vain  for  them  to  search  the 
Scriptures,  which  testified  plainly  for  him,  because,  as  he 
said,  "Ye  will  not  come  unto  me,  that  ye  might  have  life." 

The  effect  of  prejudice  is  likened  to  witchcraft  by  Paul 
where  he  says,  "O  foolish  Galatians,  who  did  bewitch  you, 
before  whose  eyes  Jesus  Christ  was  evidently  set  forth  cruci- 
fied among  you  ?" 

But  Nathanael,  though  a  doubter,  was  open  to  conviction. 
Therefore,  his  doubts  vanished  and  he  became 

A  believer  As  he  sat  under  the  fig-tree  his  friend  Philip  ap- 
proached, saying,  "We  have  found  the  Messiah!"  And  when 
Nathanael  gave  expression  to  his  incredulity,  the  answer  was, 
"Come  and  see !" 

He  came  and  saw  and  was  conquered.  His  doubt  as  to 
the  Messiahship  of  Jesus  was  solved  by  the  fact  that  his  mind 


28 

was  ready  to  weigh  the  evidence,  his  heart  was  open  to  the 
entrance  of  truth,  and  his  will  was  in  a  condition  to  act  upon 
it.  At  the  close  of  his  interview  with  Christ,  being  convinced 
of  the  validity  of  his  claims,  he  made  his  confession,  "Thou 
art  the  Son  of  God!" 

And  thence  onward  the  pathway  was  plain  before  him. 
Christ  promised  that  he  should  "see  the  angels  of  God  ascend- 
ing and  descending  upon  the  Son  of  Man" ;  that  is,  that  the 
truth  of  his  Messiahship  should  be  made  clearer  and  clearer 
until  Nathanael  should  behold  all  the  divine  glory  centering 
in  and  resting  upon  him.  So  it  is  written  "We  shall  know  if 
we  follow  on  to  know."  We  hear  of  Nathanael  only  once 
more ;  when,  three  years  later,  he  stood  with  the  disciples  on 
the  lake-shore  and  saw  Jesus  with  the  splendor  of  the  resur- 
rection shining  in  his  face.  By  this  we  are  given  to  under- 
stand that  he  persevered  as  a  faithful  follower  of  Christ. 

The  appeal  of  the  gospel  is  to  honest  doubters  ;  for  honest 
doubters  are  reasonable  men.  The  question  of  the  deity  of 
Jesus  must  be  settled,  like  other  great  problems,  by  an  appeal 
to  the  facts.    The  final  argument  is,  "Come  and  see !" 

A  hundred  years  ago  a  book  was  written  in  England  to 
prove  that  it  was  impossible  for  a  vessel  to  cross  the  ocean  by 
the  power  of  steam,  for  the  reason  that  no  vessel  could  store 
enough  coal.  The  first  copy  of  the  book  that  reached  this 
country  w^as  brought  over  in  a  steamship !  Tlie  argument  was 
refuted  by  the  fact ;  and  there  was  no  controverting  it. 

In  "Harper's  Magazine,"  fifty  years  ago,  there  appeared 
a  cartoon  representing  a  man  speaking  into  a  hole  in  the  wall 
and  holding  a  trumpet  to  his  ear.  Presently  the  telephone  was 
at  hand  and  the  cartoon  lost  its  force.  So  I  say  the  ultimate 
appeal  in  every  argument  is  to  facts ;  and  the  greatest  fact  in 
the  moral  universe  is  Christ. 

To  .every  honest  doubter,  therefore,  we  address  the  words 
of  Philip,  "Come  and  see!"  Open  your  Bible  and  you  shall 
see  the  majestic  figure  of  Christ  walking  through  it  from  the 
prophecy  iw  Genesis,  "The  Seed  of  woman  shall  bruise  the  ser- 
pent's head,"  down  to  the  prophecy  of  Malachi,  "Unto  you  that 
fear  nty  name  shall  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  arise  with  heal- 
ing in  its  wings."     Open  your  history  and  you  shall  see  the 


WHAT   SHALL   THE   DOUBTER   DO?  29 

figure  of  Christ  looming  up  more  and  more  in  the  progress 
of  the  centuries  until  all  the  Caesars  and  Alexanders  seem  like 
pigmies  beside  him !  Then  listen  to  the  testimony  of  hundreds 
of  millions  of  people  who  certify  out  of  their  personal  experi- 
ence that  Christ  has  power  on  earth  to  forgive  sin.  And  hav- 
ing done  all  this,  look  within.  Hear  the  cry  of  your  own  soul 
for  pardon  and  peace;  and,  lifting  your  eyes,  behold  the  Lamb 
of  God! 

No  more  than  this  is  asked  of  honest  men,  and  surely  no 
less.  Do  you  own  reading;  do  your  own  thinking;  face  the 
problem  as  men  who  must  stand  alone  at  the  great  assize.  Here 
is  Jesus.  He  is  his  own  best  argument.  Behold  him !  Let  him 
speak  for  himself.  He  is  able  to  save  unto  the  uttermost  all 
who  will  come  unto  him.  Take  no  man's  word  for  it.  Come 
and  see ! 


V 
WILL  YOU  LOOK  AT  THIS  SINGULAR  MAN? 

It  is  related  that  Jesus  on  one  of  his  journeys  came  to 
Sychar,  where  Jacob's  well  was ;  and  "being  wearied  with  his 
journey  he  sat  thus"  (that  is,  like  any  weary  man)  "by  the 
well." 

This  man  on  the  well-curb  is  well  worth  looking  at  because, 
though  obviously  a  man,  he  claims  to  be  the  only  begotten 
Son  of  God.  He  claims  to  have  been  "in  the  glory  of  the 
Father  before  the  world  was."  He  claims  to  have  come  into 
the  world  on  a  definite  errand ;  namely,  to  deliver  men  from 
the  power  of  sin.  He  claims  that  when  his  errand  is  accom- 
plished he  will  return  again  to  the  glory  which  he  had  with  the 
Father  before  the  world  was.  These  are  stupendous  claims.  It 
behooves  us  to  know  whether  they  are  true  or  not ;  for  in  them 
are  involved  the  issues  of  life. 

Observe,  he  is  a  man.  This  is  easy  to  see.  He  is  "bone  of 
our  bone  and  flesh  of  our  flesh" ;  that  is,  "able  to  be  touched 
with  a  feeling  of  our  infirmities"  because  he  is  one  of  us. 

He  is  a  poor  man.  Not  a  prince  in  purple,  nor  a  beggar  in 
rags,  but  one  of  the  Third  Estate  of  toiling  men.  He  has  no 
home  of  his  own.  "The  foxes  have  holes,"  he  said,  "and  the 
birds  of  the  air  have  nests ;  but  the  Son  of  Man  hath  not 
where  to  lay  his  head."  He  has  no  well-filled  purse.  He  has 
come  to  Sychar  afoot.  No  doubt  many  travellers  passed  him 
on  beasts  of  burden  or  borne  in  gilded  palanquins  and  char- 
iots ;  but  he  trudged  on,  stafif  in  hand. 

If  he  was  what  he  claimed  to  be,  then  all  the  wealth  in 
the  bosom  of  the  everlasting  hills  belonged  to  him ;  but  he 
had  stooped  to  share  the  struggles  of  the  poor,  that  he  might 
be  able  to  sympathize  with  all  "prisoners  of  poverty,"  and  that 

30 


WILL  YOU  LOOK  AT  THIS  SINGULAR  MAN?  3t 

we,  by  his  poverty,  might  become  rich  toward  God.  2  Cor.  8  :g. 

He  is  a  man  of  sorrows.  You  may  read  that  in  his  face. 
The  chastening  touch  is  there.  He  is,  bearing  some  burden 
that  weighs  heavily  upon  him.  What  is  it?  "Surely  he  hath 
borne  our  griefs  and  carried  our  sorrows."  Nay,  more,  "the 
chastisement  of  our  peace  was  upon  him."  If  we  follow  this 
wayfaring  man  we  shall  presently  see  him  coming  to  Calvary, 
bearing  liis  cross.  This  is  the  burden  of  the  world's  sin,  and 
he  will  bear  that  burden  until  his  great  heart  shall  break  under 
it. 

He  is  a  benevolent  man.  That  is  written  in  his  face.  This 
journey  to  Sychar  is  a  labor  of  love.  "He  must  needs  go 
through  Samaria,"  a  roundabout  way,  to  meet  a  sinful  woman 
who  needed  him.  This  was  his  habit.  His  biography  is  writ- 
ten in  the  brief  monograph  "He  went  about  doing  good."  On 
his  itineraries  among  the  villages  the  sick  were  laid  on  couches 
along  the  way  and  "he  had  compassion  upon  them  and  healed 
them  all." 

He  is  a  sinless  man.  And  here  we  part  company  with  him. 
"For  there  is  no  distinction ;  for  all  have  sinned,  and  fall  short 
of  the  glory  of  God."  It  is  recorded  of  Adam  that  he  was 
made  without  sin  but  also  without  positive  character.  For 
that  he  must  be  exposed  to  trial.  He  was  tempted  accordingly 
and  fell !  This  man  at  the  well  is  "the  second  Adam,"  who 
was  also  born  in  innocence  and  subject  to  trial.  He  too  was 
tempted,  and  won  out ! 

In  this  he  stands  solitary  and  alone  among  all  the  children 
of  men.  He  never  committed  a  wrong  act ;  he  never  spoke  a 
wrong  word ;  he  never  entertained  a  wrong  thought.  He  was 
"in  all  points  tempted  like  as  we  are,  yet  without  sin."  His 
challenge  was  "Who  convicteth  me  of  sin  ?"  The  answer  was 
made  by  Pilate,  who  sentenced  him  to  death :  "Behold  the  man ; 
I  find  no  fault  in  him  at  all !"  And  this  is  the  testimony  of  all 
the  succeeding  ages.  Not  even  the  bitterest  of  the  foes  of  Jesus 
has  found  a  joint  in  the  harness  of  his  perfect  righteousness. 
He  stands  alone,  the  one  incomparable  man. 

For  this  reason  he  calls  himself  "the  Son  of  Man."  Ob- 
serve, he  never  calls  himself  a  Son  of  Man,  but  always  "the 
Son  of  Man" ;  thus  setting  himself  apart  as  the  perfect  or 


32  WE   WOULD   SEE  JESUS 

ideal  man.  He  stands  for  man  as  God  planned  him :  man  with- 
out sin,  man  worthy  of  his  birthright  as  the  child  of  a  holy 
God. 

And  therefore  he  is  an  unaccountable  man.  This  perfection 
of  his  is  like  the  "x"  in  an  algebraic  problem,  which  must  be 
reduced  to  known  terms.  How  shall  that  be  done?  It  is  im- 
possible unless  we  are  prepared  to  consent  that  he  was  more 
than  a  man. 

The  problem  was  attempted  by  Theodore  Parker,  the  great 
leader  of  radical  Unitarianism,  who  was  forced  to  this  con- 
clusion :  "The  mightiest  heart  that  ever  beat,  stirred  by  the 
Spirit  of  God,  wrought  in  his  bosom.  What  deep  divinity  of 
soul !  He  unites  in  himself  the  sublimest  precepts  and  divinest 
practices,  more  than  realizing  the  dream  of  prophets  and  sages. 
He  gives  free  range  to  the  Spirit  of  God.  He  sets  aside  the 
law,  sacred  and  time-honored  as  it  was,  its  forms,  its  sacrifice, 
its  Temple  and  its  priest.  He  puts  away  the  doctors  of  the 
law,  subtle,  learned,  irrefragable,  and  pours  out  a  doctrine 
beautiful  as  the  light,  sublime  as  heaven  and  true  as  God!" 

The  infidel  David  Strauss  faced  the  same  problem  and 
reached  this  conclusion:  "H  in  Jesus  the  union  of  self-con- 
sciousness with  the  consciousness  of  God  has  been  real,  and 
expressed  not  only  in  words  but  in  all  the  conditions  of  life, 
then  he  represents  within  the  religious  sphere  the  highest  point, 
beyond  which  posterity  cannot  go :  yea,  which  it  cannot  even 
equal:  inasmuch  as  every  one  who  hereafter  should  climb  to 
the  same  height  could  only  do  so  with  the  help  of  Jesus  who 
first  attained  it." 

The  infidel  Renan  faced  the  problem  likewise  and  arrived 
at  this  conclusion :  "The  highest  consciousness  of  God  which 
ever  existed  in  the  breast  of  humanity  was  that  of  Jesus. 
Whatever  may  be  the  surprises  of  the  future,  he  will  never 
be  surpassed.  His  worship  will  grow  young  without  ceasing ; 
his  legend  will  call  forth  tears  without  end ;  his  sufiferings  will 
melt  the  noblest  hearts ;  all  ages  will  proclaim  that  among  the 
sons  of  men  there  is  none  born  greater  than  Jesus.  Repose 
now  in  thy  glory,  noble  founder!  Thy  work  is  finished,  thy 
divinity  is  established.     Take  possession    of    thy     kingdom. 


WILL  YOU  LOOK  AT  THIS  SINGULAR  MAN?  33 

whither  by  the  royal  road  which  thou  hast  traced  ages  of 
worshippers  shall  follow  thee  !" 

The  infidel  Rousseau,  own  brother  of  Voltaire  in  revolu- 
tionary thought,  faced  the  problem  and  reached  this  conclu- 
sion :  'Ts  it  possible  that  this  sacred  personage  should  be  a 
mere  man?  What  sweetness  and  purity  of  manner!  What  sub- 
limity in  his  maxims !  How  great  the  command  over  his  pas- 
sions! Where  is  the  man  who  could  so  live  and  die  without 
weakness  and  without  pride  ?  When  Plato  describes  his  imag- 
inary 'Just  Man'  he  portrays  precisely  the  character  of  Christ. 
I  cannot  understand  the  blindness  of  those  who  compare  Soc- 
rates with  him.  If  the  life  and  death  of  Socrates  were  those 
of  a  sage,  the  life  and  death  of  Jesus  are  those  of  a  god !" 

All  this  however,  is  lame  logic,  from  beginning  to  end.  It 
either  goes  too  far  or  not  far  enough.  The  algebraic  "x"  is 
not  reduced  to  known  terms  by  saying  that  Jesus  was  "more 
than  a  man."  This  is  to  journey  up  a  blind  alley  and  arrive 
at  a  stone  wall.  To  stay  there  is  impossible ;  one  must  go  fur- 
ther or  go  back.  To  go  back  is  to  affirm  that  Jesus  was  an 
impostor ;  to  go  further  is  to  acknowledge  that  he  was  what  he 
claimed  to  be. 

But  this  is  to  affirm  that  he  was  the  Divine  Man;  that  is, 
"the  only  begotten  Son  of  God,"  and  therefore  equal  with 
God. 

It  had  been  prophesied  that  when  the  Messiah  came  it 
would  be  as  God's  only  begotten  Son.  "I  will  declare  the  de- 
cree ;  the  Lord  hath  said  unto  me,  Thou  art  my  Son :  this  day 
have  I  begotten  thee." 

At  the  baptism  of  Jesus  a  voice  was  heard  from  heaven 
saying,  "This  is  my  beloved  Son  in  whom  I  am  well  pleased," 
and  again  on  the  Mount  of  Transfiguration,  "This  is  my  Son, 
my  chosen :  hear  ye  him." 

The  disciples  thus  recognized  him,  saying,  "Of  a  truth  thou 
art  the  Son  of  God" ;  and  Peter  particularly  in  his  good  con- 
fession, "Thou  art  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  the  living  God." 

And  Christ  himself  repeatedly  affirmed  it.  At  his  trial, 
when  the  High  Priest  said,  "I  adjure  thee  by  the  living  God 
that  thou  tell  us  whether  thou  art  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  God," 
he  answered,  "Thou  hast  said ;  nevertheless  I  say  unto  you. 


34  WE  WOULD  SEE  JESUS 

henceforth  ye  shall  see  the  Son  of  Man  sitting  at  the  right  hand 
of  Power  and  coming  on  the  clouds  of  heaven !"  That  he  in- 
tended this  to  be  the  strongest  possible  affirmation  is  evident 
from  what  followed :  "Then  the  High  Priest  rent  his  clothes, 
saying,  He  hath  spoken  blasphemy ;  what  further  need  have 
we  of  witnesses ?  .  .  .  What  think  ye?  They  answered, 
He  is  worthy  of  death."  Thus  he  died  for  "making  himself 
equal  with  God." 

The  importance  of  a  definite  understanding  in  this  matter 
is  emphasized  in  the  words,  "He  that  believeth  is  not  con- 
demned ;  but  he  that  believeth  not  is  condemned  already ;  be- 
cause he  hath  not  believed  in  the  name  of  the  only-begotten 
Son  of  God."  It  is  clear,  therefore,  that  there  can  be  no 
middle  ground.  We  are  bound  to  conclude  that  Jesus,  in  set- 
ting up  his  claim  as  God's  equal,  was  an  impostor  and  a  char- 
latan or  else  he  was  what  he  claimed  to  be. 

To  my  mind  the  only  solution  of  the  problem  is  that  which 
was  arrived  at  by  Napoleon  when  he  said,  "I  know  men ;  and 
I  tell  you  that  Jesus  was  not  a  mere  man !  Superficial  minds 
see  a  resemblance  between  him  and  the  founders  of  empires ; 
but  there  is  none.  Everything  in  him  astonishes  me.  His 
spirit  overawes  me ;  his  will  confounds  me.  His  birth  and  his 
life,  the  profundity  of  his  doctrine,  his  march  across  the  cen- 
turies, are  for  me  a  mystery  insoluble.  Here  is  a  grandeur 
which  overpowers  me.  In  his  death  sin  is  expiated  and  jus- 
tice satisfied.  What  a  mysterious  symbol,  this  cross  of  the 
God-man.  You  speak  of  Caesar  and  Alexander,  of  their  con- 
quests and  the  enthusiasm  which  they  kindled  in  the  hearts  of 
their  soldiers ;  but  can  you  conceive  of  a  dead  man  making 
conquests  with  an  army  devoted  to  his  memory?  Can  you 
conceive  of  Caesar  governing  an  empire  from  the  depths  of  his 
mausoleum?  Such  is  the  perpetual  miracle  of  progress;  the 
power  of  the  Christian's  God !  He  has  founded  his  empire  on 
love ;  so  that  at  this  hour  millions  would  die  for  him.  What  a 
proof  of  his  divinity!  He  speaks  and  generations  are  bound 
to  him  by  the  closest  of  ties.  Here  am  I  at  St.  Helena,  chained 
to  this  rock;  and  who  thinks  of  me?  Behold  the  destiny  of 
Napoleon  the  Great !    What  an  abyss  between  my  misery  and 


WILL  YOU  LOOK  AT  THIS  SINGULAR  MAN?  35 

the  eternal  reign  of  Christ.  By  this  I  perceive  that  Jesus  is 
God!" 

The  point  I  am  trying  to  make  is  this :  that  the  deity  of 
Jesus  is  conclusively  proven  by  his  perfect  humanity.  I  know 
there  are  other  ways.  You  may  demonstrate  his  deity  by 
showing  his  perfect  correspondence  with  the  prophecies  of 
Scripture ;  or  by  showing  how  he  marches  through  history  in 
the  vanguard  of  civilization  toward  the  Golden  Age:  but  to 
my  mind  a  stronger  argument  is  based  upon  his  character  as 
the  unaccountable  man.  It  seems  impossible  that  any  one 
should  look  fixedly  at  him  without  perceiving  that  he  was  more 
than  man :  and  if  so,  then  by  the  force  of  irresistible  logic  we 
are  driven  to  the  conclusion  that  he  was  the  very  Son  of 
God. 

The  centurion  who  took  charge  of  the  crucifixion  of  Jesus 
was  a  Roman  soldier,  hardened  to  the  contemplation  of  pain. 
As  he  beheld  the  mortal  anguish  of  the  sufferer  on  the  cross 
there  was  something  that  baffled  him.  In  view  of  the  meek- 
ness and  calm  patience  of  Jesus  he  was  moved  to  say,  "Cer- 
tainly this  was  a  righteous  man !"  But  that  was  not  enough ; 
it  did  not  satisfy  him.  As  the  hours  passed,  the  great  truth 
broke  upon  him,  and  he  was  driven  at  length  to  exclaim 
"Truly,  this  was  the  Son  of  God !"  ^  _ 

The  weary  man  at  the  well  sits  waiting.  The  woman  whom 
he  came  to  meet — a  Samaritan  woman;  a  woman  with  a  past — ' 
approaches  with  a  pitcher  on  her  shoulder.  He  asks  for  a 
drink;  and  in  the  conversation  which  follows  he  opens  up  to 
her  the  doctrine  of  spiritual  life.  She  expresses  a  hope  in  the 
coming  Christ:  he  says  "I  that  speak  to  thee  am  he!"  and 
thereupon  he  offers  her  of  the  living  water,  of  which,  if  a 
man  drink  "he  shall  never  thirst,"  which  "shall  become  in  him 
a  well  of  water  springing  up  unto  eternal  life." 

The  man  at  the  well  is  waiting  still.  Let  him  that  is  athirst 
take  of  the  water  of  life  freely.  Oh,  for  a  drink  "from  the 
well  beside  the  gate  at  Bethlehem !"  He  that  drinketh  of  this 
water  shall  doubt  no  more  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ  of  God. 

For  when  all  is  said  it  still  remains  that  the  strongest  argu- 
ment for  the  divinity  of  Christ  is  found  in  personal  experi- 
ence.    The  doubter    will  never    know    until,    like    doubting 


26  "we  would  see  jesus" 

Thomas,  he  thrusts  his  fingers  into  the  Saviour's  wounds.  Not 
until  lie  touches  the  uttermost  depths  of  his  great  humanity 
will  he  reach  the  supreme  truth  of  his  perfect  divinity.  To  see 
him  living  is  to  wonder ;  to  see  him  dying  is  to  believe !  The 
man  whose  heart  and  conscience  have  been  purged  by  the 
blood  of  Jesus  never  halts  at  the  confession  of  Thomas  who, 
in  the  moment  of  his  great  discovery,  cried,  "My  Lord  and 
my  God!" 


VI. 

CAN  OUR  EYES  BE  OPENED? 

The  ninth  chapter  of  John  is  like  a  finger-post,  pointing 
the  way  for  those  who  really  wish  to  see  Jesus  and  know  the 
truth  about  him.    It  is  a  drama,  in  five  scenes,  entitled 

OUT  OF  DARKNESS  INTO  LIGHT: 

or 
FIVE  STEFS  TO  A  SAVING  FAITH. 
Its  Dramatis  Personse  are  as  follows : 

lestis  the  Wonder-worker. 
His  Disciples. 
A  Blind  Man. 
His  Parents. 
Friends  and  Neighbors. 
Members  of  the  Sanhedrin. 
Scene  I.    At  the  Gatezvay  of  the  Temple. — The  blind  man 
sits  beside  the  gate,  his  hand  extended  for  alms.    Jesus  return- 
ing from  Bethany,  where  he  has  passed  the  night,  enters  with 
his  disciples,  preparatory  to  preaching  in   Solomon's  Porch. 
The  sight  of  the  blind  man  suggests  to  the  disciples  the  old 
question  of  Original  Sin,  which  they  refer  to  Jesus  for  settle- 
ment: 

"Master,  who  did  sin,  this  man  or  his  parents,  that  he  was 
born  blind?" 

He  answers,  "Neither  hath  this  man  sinned  nor  his 
parents,  but  that  the  works  of  God  should  be  made  manifest 
in  him."  We  are  not  to  understand  by  this  that  either  the  blind 
man  or  his  forebears  had  been  sinless ;  since  "there  is  no 
difference ;  all  have  sinned  and  come  short  of  the  glory  of 
God ;"  but  what  Jesus  meant  was  that  the  point  raised  by  his 


38  "we  would  see  jesus" 

disciples  was  not  germane  to  the  matter  in  hand.  It  was  not 
so  important  to  discover  the  cause  of  the  man's  bhndness  as 
it  was  to  determine  what  should  be  done  about  it.  We  busy 
ourselves  going  round  and  round  in  the  mazes  of  "fixed  fate, 
free-will,  foreknowledge  absolute,"  while  men  are  suffering 
and  dying  about  us.  So  Jesus  continues,  "I  must  work  the 
works  of  Him  that  sent  me  while  it  is  day ;  the  night  cometh 
when  no  man  can  work.  As  long  as  I  am  in  the  world  I  am 
the  Light  of  the  world." 

He  then  spat  on  the  ground  and  made  clay,  with  which  he 
anointed  the  eyes  of  the  blind  man,  saying,  "Go  wash  in  the 
pool  of  Siloam;"  and,  with  this,  he  and  his  disciples  passed 
on. 

"Go  wash  in  the  pool  of  Siloam."  Why  so?  Was  it  not 
enough  for  the  Wonder-worker  to  touch  his  eyes  and  say, 
"Receive  thy  sight"  ?  No ;  God  helps  those  who  help  them- 
selves. His  boundless  grace  is  free ;  but  it  is  conditioned  upon 
our  acceptance  of  it  and  our  co-operation  with  him. 

Scene  II.  On  the  Way  to  the  Pool. — The  blind  man  is 
groping,  leaning  on  a  staff,  accompanied  by  friends  and 
acquaintances  who  are  curious  to  see  what  will  come  of  it. 

Some  are  saying,  "Why  wash  in  Siloam?  There  is  no 
virtue  in  the  waters  of  the  intermittent  spring.  You'll  simply 
have  your  labor  for  your  pains." 

"Who  is  Jesus,"  others  are  asking,  "that  you  should  obey 
him?  The  rabbis  have  pronounced  him  a  charlatan  and 
mischief-maker.  It  is  rumored  that  they  mean  to  destroy 
him." 

Still  others  urge  the  danger  of  his  course ;  for  the  San- 
hedrin  has  decreed  that  any  who  espouse  the  cause  of  Jesus 
shall  be  cast  out  of  the  synagogue. 

To  all  of  whom  he  answers,  "I  am  going  to  the  pool.  It  is, 
indeed,  a  forlorn  hope.  I  know  little  about  Jesus  save  that  he 
has  performed  many  wonderful  cures.  They  say  he  has 
cleansed  lepers,  restored  paralytics  and  given  sight  to  other 
blind  men.  Had  you  ever  been  blind,  you  would  know  why  I 
am  resolved  to  obey  him.     It  may  heal  me." 

He  has  reached  the  pool.  Was  there  any  kind  hand  to 
help  him  to  the  water's  edge?    He  is  bending  over  it.    He  dips 


CAN   OUR   EYES   BE  OPENED?  39 

up  the  water  in  the  hollow  of  his  hands  and  washes  his  eyes. 
The  light  begins  to  dawn!  He  dips  it  up  again.  "My  sight 
returns!"  he  cries.  "I  see  the  blue  sky!  I  see  the  golden 
dome  of  the  Temple  !    O  blessed  light !    I  see  !    I  see !" 

Scene  III.  In  the  Streets  of  Jerusalem. — A  crowd  has 
gathered  about  the  man.  He  is  the  observed  of  all  observers. 
A  discussion  is  going  on. 

"Is  not  this  he  that  sat  and  begged  by  the  Temple  gate?" 

Some  say,  "This  is  he,"  others,  "He  is  like  him,"  but  he 
settles  the  matter  by  saying,  "I  am  he." 

"Tell  us,  how  were  thine  eyes  opened?" 

"A  man  that  is  called  Jesus,"  he  answers,  "made  clay  and 
anointed  mine  eyes  and  said  unto  me  'Go  wash  in  the  Pool  of 
Siloam.'     I  went  and  washed  and  received  my  sight." 

"Where  is  this  Jesus?" 

"I  know  not.  I  would,  indeed,  that  I  did  know ;  for  I 
should  rejoice  to  thank  him.  O  blessed  light  of  the  sun!  This 
Jesus  has  opened  mine  eyes !" 

Scene  IV.  In  the  hall  Gadth  of  the  Temple. — The  mem- 
bers of  the  Sanhedrin  are  assembled  for  important  business. 
The  man  whose  sight  was  restored  has  been  summoned  and  is 
present  with  his  parents.  The  rabbis  proceed  to  catechize 
him.     He  proves  to  be  no  dull  fellow  in  this  contest  of  wits. 

"Art  thou  the  blind  man  who  sat  by  the  gate  of  the 
Temple?" 

"I  am." 

"How  didst  thou  receive  thy  sight?" 

"A  man  that  is  called  Jesus  put  clay  upon  mine  eyes,  and 
I  washed  and  received  my  sight." 

"When  did  this  occur?" 

"Yesterday." 

At  this  there  is  a  lifting  of  eyebrows ;  for  yesterday  was 
the  Sabbath.  Some  of  the  rabbis  are  saying,  "This  Jesus  is 
evidently  a  sinner,  since  he  has  broken  the  Holy  Day."  Others 
say,  "How  could  a  sinner  do  such  miracles?"  So  there  is  a 
division  of  opinion  among  them.  They  refer  the  matter  to  the 
blind  man. 

"What  sayest  thou  of  him  in  that  he  hath  opened  thine 
eyes?" 


40  WE  WOULD   SEE  JESUS 

"He  is  a  prophet" ;  that  is,  a  great  man. 

As  there  are  still  some  in  the  Sanhedrin  who  question  the 
validity  of  the  miracle,  the  parents  of  the  blind  man  are  called, 
at  this  point,  and  examined  respecting  it. 

"Is  this  your  son  who  was  born  blind?" 

"It  is." 

"How  then  doth  he  now  see?" 

"We  know  that  this  is  our  son,  and  we  know  that  he  was 
born  blind ;  but  by  what  means  he  now  seeth  we  know  not,  or 
who  hath  opened  his  eyes  we  know  not.  He  is  of  age ;  ask 
him.    Let  him  speak  for  himself." 

They  are  thus  non-committal  for  prudential  reasons.  They 
do  not  propose  to  be  put  out  of  the  synagogue  if  they  can 
avoid  it. 

The  fact  of  the  cure  being  now  indubitable,  the  inquisi- 
tors turn  again  to  the  blind  man,  saying,  "Give  God  the  praise, 
for  he  hath  wrought  a  great  work  upon  thee.  As  for  this 
Jesus,  he  is  a  sinner  and  thou  shouldst  have  nothing  to  do 
with  him." 

"Whether  he  be  a  sinner  or  no,"  he  answers,  "I  know  not. 
One  thing  I  know,  that  whereas  I  was  blind,  now  I  see." 

"Tell  us,"  they  continue,  "what  did  he  unto  thee?  How 
opened  he  thine  eyes?" 

"I  have  told  you  already,"  he  answers,  "and  ye  did  not 
hear;  wherefore  would  ye  hear  it  again?  Will  ye  also  be 
his  disciples?" 

Thereupon  they  lose  their  tempers  and  revile  him :  "Thou 
art  his  disciple!  As  for  us,  we  are  Moses'  disciples.  We 
know  that  God  spake  unto  Moses,  but  as  for  this  fellow,  we 
know  not  whence  he  is." 

"Why,  herein  is  a  marvellous  thing,"  he  exclaims,  "that 
ye  know  not  whence  he  is,  and  yet  he  hath  opened  mine  eyes. 
Since  the  world  began  was  it  not  heard  that  any  man  opened 
the  eyes  of  one  born  blind.  God  heareth  not  sinners.  If  this 
Jesus  were  not  of  God  he  could  do  nothing."  Sound  reason- 
ing, indeed ;  but  it  only  served  to  further  anger  them. 

"Thou  wast  altogether  born  in  sins,"  they  cry,  "and  dost 
thou  presume  to  teach  us?"  and  they  cast  him  out. 

So  he  went  forth,  with  the  awful  ban  of  excommunication 


CAN   OUR  EYES  BE   OPENED?  41 

upon  him.  Let  no  Jew  extend  a  helping  hand  to  him !  Let 
none  put  a  cup  of  water  to  his  lips !  He  is  anathema ;  an  out- 
cast for  Jesus'  sake. 

Scene  V.  A  Lonely  Place,  outside  the  City  Walls. — The 
Outcast  wanders  alone.  There  is  a  sound  of  approaching 
footsteps.  Jesus  draws  near.  He  has  come  to  seek  the  Out- 
cast.   Oh,  blessed,  seeking  Saviour !    He  speaks  to  the  man : 

"Dost  thou  believe  on  the  Son  of  God?" 

"Who  is  he,  Lord,  that  I  might  believe  on  him?" 

"Thou  hast  both  seen  him,  and  it  is  he  that  talketh  with 
thee." 

"Lord,  I  believe !"    And  he  worships  him. 

So  ends  the  drama,  "Out  of  Darkness  Into  Light."  So 
always  ends  the  drama  of  spiritual  deliverance,  with  the  sin- 
ner prone  at  the  feet  of  Jesus  worshiping  him. 

In  the  course  of  this  narrative  we  observe  the  Five  Steps 
in  the  Development  of  Saving  Faith. 

At  first  the  man  could  say  no  more  of  his  deliverer  than 
that  he  was  "a  man  called  Jesus." 

In  this  there  was  obviously  no  power  to  save.  All  the 
world  believes  in  the  historic  Christ,  to  wit:  that  once  on  a 
time  there  lived  a  man  called  Jesus,  who  went  about  doing 
good,  working  miracles,  preaching  great  sermons,  and  end- 
ing his  career  in  a  shameful  death  on  an  accursed  tree. 

The  second  development  of  this  man's  faith  was  when  he 
affirmed  that  Jesus  was  a  "prophet,"  or  great  man. 

It  is  true  that  Jesus  uttered  "thoughts  that  breathe  in 
words  that  burn."  He  preached  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount. 
The  praises  of  his  wisdom  are  sung  by  multitudes  who  totally 
reject  his  power  to  save.  The  French  freethinker,  Renan, 
says,  "Whatever  may  be  the  surprises  of  the  future,  this 
Jesus  will  never  be  surpassed.  His  worship  will  grow  young 
without  ceasing.  His  legend  will  call  forth  tears  without  end. 
His  sufferings  will  melt  the  noblest  hearts;  and  all  ages  will 
proclaim  that  among  the  sons  of  men  there  is  none  born 
greater  than  he !" 

A  third  step  was  taken  when  the  blind  man  affirmed  in  the 
presence  of  his  hostile  judges  that  Jesus  was  "of  God." 

But  the  confession  has  still  no  saving  power  in  it.     To 


42  "we  ^^'0ULD  see  jesus'' 

affirm  that  the  life  of  Jesus  was  a  reflection  of  the  divine 
beneficence  is  but  satirical  praise  if  the  claim  be  denied 
that  he  was  vastly  more  than  any  other  man.  To  say  that 
he  was  "a  man  at  his  best"  is  but  to  mock  his  honesty.  Spi- 
noza, the  Jewish  pantheist,  confesses  that  "Christ  was  the 
very  temple  of  God  since  in  him  we  have  the  fullest  revelation 
of  God."  David  Strauss,  the  German  infidel,  says,  "In  Jesus 
the  union  of  self-consciousness  with  the  consciousness  of  God 
has  been  real,  so  that  he  represents  within  the  religious  sphere 
the  highest  point,  beyond  which  posterity  cannot  go."  Theo- 
dore Parker,  while  denying  the  divine  claims  of  Jesus,  cries, 
"How  did  the  spirit  of  God  work  in  his  bosom !  What  deep 
divinity  of  soul !  In  whom  did  ever  the  tide  of  humanity  rise 
so  high  as  in  him?"  Unitarians  have  generally  approved  the 
saying,  "In  Jesus  we  observe  the  highest  manifestation  of 
God  that  ever  was  seen  in  mortal  man." 

The  fourth  step  was  taken  when  the  blind  ijian  said,  "I 
believe  in  the  Son  of  God." 

But  even  this,  if  it  were  merely  an  intellectual  apprehen- 
sion of  his  divineness,  had  no  power  to  save.  To  be  ortho- 
dox is  not  necessarily  to  be  Christian.  One  may  believe  in  the 
incarnation  and  yet  not  follow  Christ.  Intellectual  assent  is 
not  faith.  Napoleon  conceded  everything  that  Jesus  claimed 
for  himself  as  the  very  Son  of  God ;  yet  his  life  was  infinitely 
far  from  the  life  which  is  hid  in  Christ  with  God. 

The  fifth  and  final  step  was  taken  when  the  blind  man, 
having  said,  "Lord,  I  believe,"  fell  down  and  "worshiped 
him." 

This  means  that  he  then  a^nd  there  took  this  Son  of  God 
to  be  his  Lord  and  Saviour.  This  is  faith ;  a  hand  stretched 
forth  to  appropriate.  It  is  the  first  personal  pronoun  possess- 
ive that  brings  us  into  the  kingdom  of  God.  "My"  and 
"mine" ;  these  are  the  touchstones  of  spiritual  life. 

Not  long  ago  I  was  assigned  to  a  room  in  a  hotel,  where, 
as  I  entered,  I  observed  a  coil  of  rope  suspended  from  the 
window  casing.  It  was  a  fire-escape  with  the  slip-noose  and 
a  succession  of  knots ;  simple  enough,  but  so  adapted  to  its 
purpose  that  I  said  within  myself,  "I  believe  in  it."  But  sup- 
pose a  fire  had  occurred  that  night  and  every  avenue  of  escape 


CAN   OUR   EYES   BE   OPENED?  43 

had  been  cut  off?  I  would  have  uncoiled  that  rope,  bound  the 
loop  about  my  waist  and  committed  myself  to  it.  That  would 
have  made  the  fire-escape  a  very  different  thing  for  me.  I 
should  have  made  it  experimentally  mine ;  my  faith  would 
have  put  an  effectual  seal  of  approval  upon  it  because  it  had 
saved  me. 

The  Drama,  "Out  of  Darkness  into  Light,"  has  no  re- 
corded sequel.  Its  central  figure  is  a  nameless  man ;  and  no 
more  is  heard  of  him.  The  day  came,  however,  when  his 
eyes  were  closed  to  this  world  and  opened  in  the  kingdom  of 
light,  and  again  he  saw  Jesus,  not  clad  in  homespun,  but 
crowned  with  glory.  The  King  in  his  beauty !  The  blind  man 
had  come  at  last  out  of  darkness  into  the  marvelous  light. 

So  may  we  realize  the  possibilities  of  faith  in  creed  and 
practice — so  may  we  worship  Christ  and  follow  on — until  the 
day  break  and  the  shadows  flee  away!  Then  with  open  eyes 
beholding,  we  shall  be  able  to  say,  "Whereas  I  was  blind,  now 
I  see." 


VII 

HOW  PETER  SAW  HIM 

It  was  toward  the  close  of  Peter's  career  that  he  wrote  a 
"General  Epistle" — that  is,  a  letter  addressed  to  no  Church  in 
particular  but  "to  all  whom  it  may  concern" — in  which  he  de- 
fended his  faith  in  Jesus  Christ  as  the  only-begotten  Son  of 
God. 

Now  Peter  was  not  a  doctrinaire.  He  was  unfamiliar  with 
the  learning  of  the  schools.  He  was  frank  to  acknowledge 
his  ignorance  of  many  things  that  university  professors  knew 
then  and  know  now ;  but  with  respect  to  the  power  and  coming 
of  Christ  he  professed  an  absolute  certainty.  His  creed  was 
short ;  but  it  embraced  all  the  essentials  of  Christian  faith, 
and  it  was  based  on  the  authority  of  the  Word  of  God.    . 

The  truth  for  which  he  thus  stood  had  been  called  in 
question.  The  trustworthiness  of  Scripture  was  denied,  with- 
out which  there  is  no  ultimate  authority  for  the  deity  of 
Christ  or  any  other  fundamental  truth.  There  were  those 
who  affirmed  that  many  of  the  events  recorded  in  the  Gospels 
were  "cunningly  devised  fables" :  such  as  the  virgin  birth,  the 
miracles,  and  the  resurrection  of  Christ.  (Strange,  is  it  not, 
how  history  repeats  itself?)  What  has  Peter  to  say  to  the 
objections  of  these  men?  He  has  one  transcendent  recollec- 
tion with  which  to  answer  it.  An  incident  had  occurred  thirty 
years  before  which  had  so  impressed  itself  upon  his  mind  and 
conscience  and  heart  that  he  never  could  forget  it.  He  had 
seen  Jesus  with  the  glory  of  Godhood  shining  in  his  face ! 

Let  him  tell  his  own  story :  "It  was  at  the  close  of  our 
Lord's  journey  through  Csesarea-Philippi.    By  the  way  he  had 

44 


HOW   PETER   SAW   HIM  45 

much  to  say  respecting  his  approaching  death.  We  could  not 
understand  it.  His  death !  We  expected  him  to  take  his  place 
upon  the  Messianic  throne  and  rule  in  splendor  as  the  long- 
predicted  Son  of  David.  But  he  spoke  of  suffering  many- 
things  at  the  hands  of  the  priests  and  rabbis  and  of  being 
crucified.  At  length  we  came  to  Mount  Hermon.  It  was  to- 
ward the  close  of  the  day  and  the  Master  signified  that  he 
would  go  apart  for  a  season.  So  he  climbed  the  mountain 
path,  the  two  sons  of  Zebedee  and  myself  following  close  after, 
at  his  desire.  Far  to  the  west  lay  the  Mediterranean,  glorious 
in  the  sunset ;  and  in  the  distant  east  the  Euphrates  ran  like  a 
torrent  of  blood  among  its  mountains  and  historic  ruins.  At 
length  we  paused,  and,  wearied  with  climbing,  fell  asleep. 

•  "We  were  presently  awakened  by  the  murmur  of  voices. 
The  Master  was  changed !  His  coarse  blue  garments  were 
like  ermine ;  his  face  was  all  aflame  as  the  sun  shineth  in  his 
strength.  And  two  companions  were  with  him,  whom  we 
knew,  as  by  intuition,  to  be  Moses  the  lawgiver  and  Elijah  the 
prophet  who  had  ascended  a  thousand  years  before  in  a  chariot 
of  fire.  We  were  awestruck,  amazed.  I  spoke  at  length : 
'Master,  let  us  make"  here  three  tabernacles ;  one  for  thee,  and 
one  for  Moses  and  one  for  Elijah.'  I  knew  not  what  I  said. 
There  was  no  answer.  Then  came  the  luminous  cloud,  the 
Shekinah  which  long  centuries  before  had  disappeared  from 
above  the  mercy-seat ;  and  as  it  folded  us  in  we  were  afraid. 
And  there  came  a  voice  out  of  the  most  excellent  glory,  'This 
is  my  beloved  Son !'  We  had  fallen  upon  our  faces ;  the  Mas- 
ter touched  us ;  we  arose  and  looked  about  us.  The  glory 
had  faded ;  the  celestial  visitants  were  gone  and  Jesus  stood 
alone. 

"The  years  have  passed,  but  the  scene  is  as  fresh  in  mem- 
ory as  if  it  had  been  but  yesterday.  We  are  under  no  delu- 
sion. We  have  not  followed  cunningly  devised  fables,  when 
we  made  known  unto  you  the  power  and  coming  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  but  we  were  eyewitnesses  of  his  majesty.  For 
he  received  from  God  the  Father  the  honor  and  glory,  when 
there  was  borne  such  a  voice  to  him  by  the  Majestic  Glory. 
This  voice  we  ourselves  heard  borne  out  of  heaven,  when  we 
were  with  him  in  the  holy  mount.     And  we  have  the  word 


46  "we  would  see  jesus" 

of  prophecy  made  more  sure ;  whereunto  ye  do  well  that  ye 
take  heed,  as  unto  a  lamp  shining  in  a  dark  place,  until  the 
day  dawn  and  the  day-star  arise  in  your  hearts ;  knowing  this 
first,  that  no  prophecy  of  scripture  is  of  private  interpreta- 
tion. For  no  prophecy  ever  came  by  the  will  of  man :  but 
men  spake  from  God,  being  moved  by  the  Holy  Spirit.  We 
saw  this  foregleam  of  the  Parousia,  his  final  coming  to  be 
King  over  all  and  blessed  forever.  How  can  our  faith  trem- 
ble? We  believe  in  his  power.  We  believe  in  his  coming. 
We  shall  see  him  in  his  glory  in  that  day !" 

No  more  important  problem  could  be  presented  for  our 
consideration  than  the  one  before  us,  "What  think  ye  of  this 
Jesus  which  is  called  the  Christ?"  He  claimed  to  be  very 
God  of  very  God.  He  might  have  escaped  the  cross  by  with- 
drawing that  claim,  but  he  refused  to  do  so.  He  died  for 
making  himself  equal  with  God !  There  is,  therefore,  no  mid- 
dle ground.  It  will  not  do  to  say  that  he  was  "the  best  of 
men."  He  was  either  an  impostor  or  else  he  was  what  he 
claimed  to  be.  What  think  ye  ?  The  rabbis  were  wont  to  say, 
"The  secret  of  Messiah  is  the  secret  of  man."  If  so,  it  be- 
hooves us  to  solve  this  problem  and  to  solve  it  aright ;  for  out 
of  it  flow  the  issues  of  eternal  life. 

There  are  three  ways  of  approaching  the  question  and 
only  three : 

The  first  is  the  Zetetic  Method.  The  Zetetics  were  a 
school  of  philosophers  who  were  so  called  because  they  pro- 
fessed to  be  "seekers  after  the  truth."  They  proposed  to  ar- 
rive at  truth  by  the  processes  of  pure  reason,  without  any  aid 
whatsoever. 

We  may  attempt  to  solve  this  problem  in  the  same  man- 
ner, that  is,  by  reasoning  it  out ;  but  the  result  is  a  foregone 
conclusion.  We  shall  find  ourselves  going  further  and  fur- 
ther into  the  dark.  A  man  might  as  well  undertake  to  sail  a 
vessel  to  Liverpool  without  chart  or  compass  or  skipper  or 
pilot  or  the  slightest  knowledge  of  navigation.  He  would  go 
round  and  round  and  get  nowhere,  or  else  go  down  on  the 
open  sea.  The  attempts  of  philosophers  to  arrive  at  spiritual 
truth  in  this  manner  have  always  led  them  up  a  blind-alley 
with  nothing  but  confusion  to  show  for  it.     "Canst  thou  by 


HOW   PETER  SAW    HIM  47 

wisdom  find  out  God?"  How  then  can  we  expect,  by  the 
ordinary  processes  of  reason,  to  find  out  the  only-begotten  Son 
of  God  ? 

The  second  method  of  procedure  is  the  Scientific  Method. 
This  involves  the  use  of  all  possible  aids :  and  it  is  as  sensible 
as  it  is  scientific.  If  one  wishes  to  know  about  the  life  and 
character  of  Csesar  how  does  he  go  about  it?  Does  he  sit 
down  alone  in  a  solitary  place  to  reason  it  out?  In  that  case 
nothing  would  come  of  it.  He  would  have  his  labor  for  his 
pains.  On  the  contrary,  he  gets  all  the  documentary  evidence 
he  can ;  he  consults  the  original  documents,  the  Orations  and 
"Commentaries"  of  Caesar,  the  writings  of  Livy  and  Josephus 
and  Suetonius,  the  biographical  dictionaries  and  everything 
else  germane  to  the  question ;  and  from  these  he  forms  a  con- 
clusion as  to  the  matter  in  hand. 

Any  one  who  is  sincerely  desirous  of  knowing  about  Christ 
will  pursue  a  like  method,  and  he  will  examine  three  books  in 
particular  with  the  utmost  care. 

One  of  these  is  the  Old  Testament ;  to  which  Peter  refers 
as  "the  word  of  prophecy  made  more  sure,  whereunto  ye  do 
well  that  ye  take  heed,  as  unto  a  lamp  shining  in  a  dark 
place."  No  man  who  reads  the  Old  Testament  without  bias 
can  fail  to  see  Christ  walking  through  it  from  the  first  proph- 
ecy in  Genesis,  "The  Seed  of  woman  shall  bruise  the  serpent's 
head,"  down  to  the  last  prophecy  of  Malachi,  "Unto  you  that 
fear  my  name  shall  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  arise  with  heal- 
ing in  its  wings."  His  name  is  written  between  all  its  lines. 
His  face,  so  marred  yet  so  divinely  beautiful,  shines  forth  on 
every  page.  The  red  trail  of  his  atoning  blood  runs  from  the 
beginning  to  the  end  of  it. 

The  second  book  is  the  New  Testament ;  which  agrees  in 
the  minutest  details  and  particulars  with  the  prophecies  re- 
ferred to.  It  chronicles  their  fulfillment ;  as  claimed,  "Thus  it 
is  written  and  thus  it  must  be."  The  two  volumes  comple- 
ment each  other  in  perfect  accord  like  the  counterparts  of  an 
indenture.  Can  this  be  a  mere  coincidence?  Surely  not  to  an 
unprejudiced  mind. 

The  third  book  to  be  consulted  is  History;  the  history  of 
the  nineteen  centuries  which  have  elapsed  since  the  beginning 


48  "we  would  see  jesus" 

of  the  Christian  era.  In  this  we  find  an  irrefutable  demon- 
stration of  the  power  of  Jesus  Christ  to  reconstruct  the  char- 
acter of  nations  and  of  the  children  of  men.  He  walks  through 
these  centuries  like  the  majestic  figure  which  Isaiah  saw  on 
the  heights  of  Bozrah,  "marching  in  the  greatness  of  his 
strength  with  dyed  garments  from  Bozrah." 

The  history  of  civilization  has  been  coextensive  with  the 
influence  of  the  gospel.  Not  without  reason  are  the  enlight- 
ened nations  of  the  earth  embraced  in  a  charmed  circle  known 
as  "Christendom" ;  for  there  has  been  no  continuous  progress 
save  under  the  luminous  shadow  of  the  Cross.  Thus  does  his- 
tory demonstrate  the  power  of  Christ ;  and  thus  does  it  pre- 
dict His  coming  also ;  since  all  the  lines  of  advancing  civiliza- 
tion converge  toward  "one  supreme  divine  event" ;  namely,  the 
ultimate  reign  of  the  Saviour  in  the  Golden  Age,  when  every 
knee  shall  bow  and  every  tongue  confess  that  he  is  the  Christ 
of  God. 

But  this  method  of  approaching  the  problem,  while  dis- 
tinctly rational  and  scientific,  is  not  ultimately  conclusive  or 
satisfactory.  In  any  mind  open  to  conviction  it  must  produce 
an  intellectual  apprehension  of  the  fact  that  Jesus  was  the 
veritable  Son  of  God.  But  this  does  not  go  deep  enough 
to  affect  one's  practical  life  and  character.  Many  a  man  is 
convinced  of  the  Godhood  of  Christ  without  being  a  Christian. 
Orthodoxy  is  not  piety.  The  truth  must  take  hold  not  of  the 
intellect  only,  but  of  the  heart  and  conscience  and  will,  before 
our  lives  can  truly  be  said  to  be  "hid  with  Christ  in  God." 

The  third  method  is  the  Empirical  or  Experimental 
Method.  It  is  illustrated  in  the  words  of  the  people  of  Samaria 
who  came  to  interview  Jesus  at  the  suggestion  of  the  woman  at 
the  well.  She  had  summoned  them  to  "see  a  man  who  had 
told  her  all  things  that  ever  she  did,"  adding,  "Is  not  this  the 
Christ?"  They  went  out  to  see  for  themselves;  and  after 
coming  into  personal  touch  with  Him,  they  said  to  her,  "Now 
we  believe,  not  because  of  thy  speaking,  for  we  have  heard  for 
ourselves,  and  know  that  this  is  indeed  the  Saviour  of  the 
world !" 

It  is  this  sort  of  experience  with  Christ  that  leads  to 
practical  faith  in  him.    "Come  and  see/'  said  Philip  to  Na- 


HOW   PETER  SAW    HIM  49 

thanael :  and  Nathanael  came  and  saw  and  believed.  Seeing 
is  believing. 

It  was  because  Peter  had  been  with  Jesus  in  Hermon,  and 
had  seen  his  earthly  garments  flutttering  aside  for  a  mo- 
ment to  reveal  his  divine  majesty,  that  he  believed  in  him. 
Faith  came  to  him  then  with  a  certainty  that  nothing  could 
ever  shake,  a  certainty  that  deepened  and  broadened  as  the 
years  passed  on. 

No  greater  mistake  can  be  made  than  to  suppose,  as  many 
do,  that  science  rather  than  faith  furnishes  a  safe  working 
basis  of  life.  This  is  to  confuse  science  with  wisdom  and 
faith  with  credulity.  Natural  science  has  to  do  with  things 
which  are  seen  and  temporal ;  and  it  depends  for  verification 
upon  the  evidences  of  the  physical  senses.  Faith  has  to  do 
with  things  which  are  unseen  and  eternal :  and,  so  far  from 
being  insubstantial  or  without  evidence,  it  is  the  very  "sub- 
stance of  things  hoped  for  and  the  evidence  of  things  not 
seen." 

One  of  the  greatest  scientists  of  the  last  century,  Alfred 
Russell  Wallace,  has  recently  passed  away  at  the  extreme  age 
of  ninety-one.  He  shared  with  Charles  Darwin,  more  than 
half  a  century  ago,  the  credit  of  originating  the  dogma  of 
Natural  Selection  as  the  fundamental  fact  in  the  naturalistic 
theory  of  Evolution.  But  as  time  passed  Professor  Wallace 
frankly  abandoned  the  evolution  hypothesis  as  a  working  basis. 
He  turned  from  theory  and  hypothesis  to  a  consideration  of 
the  more  positive  tenets  of  the  spiritual  life.  He  was  con- 
vinced of  "a  purpose  in  creation"  and  therefore  of  an  "ulti- 
mate God,"  as  he  expressed  it.  On  this  foundation  he  built 
for  himself  a  tabernacle  of  faith,  in  which  he  found,  what 
Science  could  not  give,  an  unwavering  hope  of  life  and  immor- 
tality. His  experience  in  the  unseen  and  eternal  was  to  him 
more  substantial  than  mere  intellectual  conclusions  could  be. 

The  objective  contemplation  of  any  spiritual  fact  must  be 
meagre  in  its  results,  in  the  necessity  of  the  case.  "Experi- 
ence teaches."  The  historic  council  at  Niccisa  (A.  D.  312)  was 
called  to  formulate  the  doctrine  of  the  Person  of  Christ.  All 
manner  of  heresies  had  arisen  with  respect  to  it.  The  great 
majority  of  those  who  attended  the  council  believed  that  he 


5<5  "we  would  see  jesus'^ 

was  very  God  as  he  claimed  to  be ;  but  there  were  others  who 
affirmed  that  he  was  simply  the  "best  of  men."  For  the  final 
adjustment  of  the  controversy  delegates  were  sent  from  all 
Christendom ;  and  among  them  came  two  from  Alexandria, 
who  proved  to  be  the  most  conspicuous  figures  in  the  discus- 
sion. One  of  these  was  Arius,  the  father  of  Unitarianism, 
that  is,  the  denial  of  Christ's  divinity.  The  other  was  Athan- 
asius,  a  mere  stripling  of  twenty-five  years,  who  soon  forged 
to  the  front  as  the  defender  of  the  orthodox  view. 

The  question  at  issue  was  discussed,  pro  and  contra,  for 
many  weeks,  and  finally  ended  in  a  dramatic  incident  which 
the  world  can  never  forget.  The  delegates  rose  to  vote ;  and 
among  them  were  many  victims  of  persecution.  They  had  vin- 
dicated their  loyalty  to  Christ  in  prison  and  torture  cham- 
bers, had  faced  all  manner  of  suffering  and  death  itself  for 
the  truth's  sake.  They  held  up  their  mutilated  hands  in  vindi- 
cation of  their  faith :  saying,  "That  which  we  have  heard,  that 
which  we  have  seen  with  our  eyes,  that  which  our  hands  han- 
dled, do  we  certify  this  day!"  Not  all  the  wise  arguments  of 
the  theologians  at  Nicsea  were  so  weighty  as  this  testimony 
of  personal  experience  in  the  following  of  Christ.  These  men 
had  seen  the  vision  in  the  holy  mountain  and  had  heard  the 
Voice  out  of  the  most  excellent  glory,  calling,  "This  is  my 
beloved  Son !" 

I  venture  to  emphasize  again  the  importance  of  solving 
this  problem  of  the  Messiah  and  of  solving  it  in  the  right  way. 
If  Jesus  was  indeed  the  veritable  Son  of  God  we  should  know 
it  and  act  accordingly ;  for,  if  so,  he  alone  "hath  authority 
on  earth  to  forgive  sins."  No  prudent  man  will  evade  this 
question  or  postpone  the  settlement  of  it.  We  have  light 
enough  for  its  solution,  if  only  we  will  follow  it. 

The  humblest  man  on  earth  has  free  access  to  the  presence 
of  Christ.  He  claims  to  be  a  living  Christ  and  waits  to  be 
interviewed.  He  invites  us  into  the  secret  place  of  his  pavilion 
where,  if  so  disposed,  we  may  become  personally  acquainted 
with  him.  No  fair-minded  man  has  ever  accepted  that  invi- 
tation and  failed  to  arrive  at  the  truth  concerning  him. 

A  Jew  came  to  Mr.  Moody  saying  that  he  sincerely  wished 
to  know  whether  Jesus  of  Nazareth  was  the  Messiah  or  not. 


HOW   PETER  SAW   HIM  5I 

The  difficulty  was  that  he  "could  not  believe  in  a  Messiah  who 
had  died  on  an  accursed  tree."  Mr.  Moody  read  the  .conver- 
sation of  Christ  with  Nicodemus,  in  the  third  of  John,  and 
then  knelt  in  prayer.  In  his  prayer  he  said,  "O  Lord,  this 
man  really  wants  to  know.  Show  thyself  to  him  as  thou  didst 
to  Nicodemus !  Tell  him  why  thou  didst  leave  the  glory  which 
thou  hadst  with  the  Father  before  the  world  was !  Show  him 
the  necessity  of  the  cross,  on  which  thou  didst  pay  the  ransom 
for  our  sins !  He  believes  that  Moses  lifted  up  the  serpent  in 
the  wilderness  so  that  whosoever  looked  might  live ;  show 
him  how  thou  thyself  must  even  so  be  lifted  up,  that  whoso- 
ever believeth  in  thee  might  not  perish  but  have  eternal  life!" 
At  these  words  the  Jew  sprang  to  his  feet,  crying,  'T  see  it !  I 
see  it !  'As  Moses  lifted  up  the  serpent  in  the  wilderness !'  The 
light  has  come.     O  blessed  Christ  of  God!" 

It  is  in  the  light  of  such  an  experience  as  this  that  the 
Scriptures  become  "a  word  of  prophecy  made  more  sure." 
He  who  truly  believes  in  Christ  will  l3elieve  also  that  the  Book 
which  was  good  enough  for  Christ  is  good  enough  for  him. 
And  the  more  he  searches  that  Book,  as  "a  light  shining  in  a 
dark  place,"  the  more  sure  will  it  become  to  him  "until  the 
day  break  and  the  day-star  arise  in  his  heart."  Thus  is  the 
written  word  confirmed  by  personal  experience  in  the  love  and 
service  of  the  incarnate  Word  of  God. 


VIII 
HOW  JOHN  SAW  HIM 

The  old  exile  in  Patmos  is  dreaming  dreams  and  seeing 
visions.  In  one  of  tiiese  visions  he  sees  an  army  issuing  from 
the  gates  of  heaven  to  meet  the  marshalled  hosts  of  evil.  This 
army  is  led  by  one  arrayed  in  garments  dipped  in  blood,  whose 
eyes  are  as  a  flaming  fire.    Who  is  this  ? 

"And  I  saw  the  heaven  opened ;  and  behold,  a  white  horse, 
and  he  that  sat  thereon  called  Faithful  and  True ;  and  in  right- 
eousness he  doth  judge  and  make  war.  And  his  eyes  are  a 
flame  of  fire,  and  upon  his  head  are  many  diadems ;  and  he 
hath  a  name  written  which  no  man  knoweth  but  he  himself. 
And  he  is  arrayed  in  a  garment  sprinkled  with  blood ;  and  his 
name  is  called  The  Word  of  God.  And  the  armies  which  are 
in  heaven  followed  him  upon  white  horses,  clothed  in  fine 
linen,  white  and  pure.  And  out  of  his  mouth  proceedeth  a 
sharp  sword,  that  with  it  he  should  smite  the  nations ;  and  he 
shall  rule  them  with  a  rod  of  iron  ;  and  he  treadeth  the  wine- 
press of  the  fierceness  of  the  wrath  of  God,  the  Almighty.  And 
he  hath  on  his  garment  and  on  his  thigh  a  name  written, 
King  of  Kings  and  Lord  of  Lords." 

The  same  imposing  figure  may  be  seen  in  the  pages  of  in- 
spired prophecy,  going  forth  conquering  and  to  conquer,  on 
his  way  to  bring  deliverance  to  this  sin-stricken  world  of 
ours. 

In  the  fulness  of  time  he  came  riding  into  Jerusalem,  with 
a  multitude  going  before  and  coming  after,  shouting,  "Ho- 
sanna !  Hosanna !  Blessed  is  he  that  cometh  in  the  name  of 
the  Lord !"  The  people  of  the  city,  looking  from  their  win- 
dows, cried,  "Who  is  this?"  and  the  answer  was,  "This  is  Je- 
sus, the  prophet  of  Nazareth." 

52 


now  JOHN-  SAW  HIM  53 

His  is  the  central  figure  in  history.  In  him  concenter  all  the 
happenings  of  time — the  past  and  future  meeting  in  him  as 
at  a  focal  point.  He  is  the  Alpha  and  Omega  of  chronicles, 
the  beginning  and  end  of  all. 

_  In  this  vision  of  the  Holy  War  he  is  seen  by  the  Evangelist 
going  forth  to  conquest;  the  knight-errant  of  truth  against 
error,  of  good  against  evil,  of  right  against  wrong,  of  light 
against  darkness. 

In  the  light  of  this  vision  all  current  events  find  their  in- 
terpretation;  for  he  who  thus,  like  Henry  of  Navarre  with 
his  white  plume,  leads  the  White  Battalion  to  the  Holy  War, 
is  arbiter  of  the  destinies  of  nations  and  of  the  children  of 
men. 

It  will  be  observed  that  in  this  apocalyptic  vision  he  is 
called  by  four  singular  names ;  and  in  these  we  shall  find  the 
answer  to  the  question,  "Who  is  he?" 

One  of  these  names  is  illegible.  "No  one  knoweth  it  but 
he  himself.''  To  those  who  love  and  follow  him,  the  most  fa- 
miliar of  his  names  is  Jesus ;  but  even  within  that  name  there 
are  depths  of  mystery  which  no  intellectual  plummet  can 
fathom.  How  vain  the  current  controversy  about  "the  virgin 
birth !"  Is  it  not  written,  "Great  is  the  mystery  of  godliness — ■ 
God  manifested  in  the  flesh — which  things  angels  de- 
sire to  look  into."  But  it  is  also  written,  elsewhere,  "Fools 
rush  in  where  angels  fear  to  tread."  The  name  "Jesus"  is 
ours  by  birthright.  In  it,  as  in  a  golden  casket,  are  the  price- 
less treasures  of  our  spiritual  inheritance.  "And  thou  shalt 
call  his  name  Jesus;  for  it  is  he  that  shall  save  his  people  from 
their  sins."  The  aged  Christian  murmurs  it  with  trembling 
lips.    The  little  people  sing  it : 

"There  is  no  name  so  sweet  on  earth, 
No  name  so  sweet  in  heaven; 
The  name,  before  his  wondrous  birth, 
To  Christ  the  Saviour  given." 

The  last  word  about  Jesus  has  not  been  spoken  yet  The 
sweetest  of  his  names  cannot  reveal  the  fullness  of  his  infi- 
nite excellency  to  the  "wisest  of  finite  minds.  But  the  saints 
triumphant  know.  So  runs  the  promise,  "To  him  that  over- 
cometh  will  I  give  ...  a  white  stone,  and  upon  the  stone 


54  WE   WOULD   SEE  JESUS 

a  new  name  written,  which  no  one  knoweth  but  he  that  re- 
ceiveth  it,"  Those  who  have  gone  before  us  to  the  Heavenly 
Country  have  learned  the  incommunicable  Name ;  for  they  see 
no  longer  "as  in  a  glass  darkly,"  but  face  to  face ;  and  they 
know  no  longer  "in  part,"  but  even  as  they  are  known.  And 
to  us  also  this  privilege  shall  be  given ;  for  "if  he  shall  be 
manifested,  we  shall  be  like  him;  for  we  shall  see  him  even 
as  he  is." 

The  second  of  the  names  referred  to  in  this  vision  is  The 
Faithful  and  True. 

True  to  what?  And  faithful  in  what?  True  to  the  eternal 
plan  and  faithful  in  performing  it. 

For  this  Jesus  is  "the  Lamb  slain  from  the  foundation  of 
the  world."  In  Peter's  address  to  the  Jews  at  Pentecost  he 
spoke  of  him  as  "delivered  up  by  the  determinate  counsel  and 
foreknowledge  of  God." 

I  confess  to  some  diffidence  in  ever  approaching  the  doc- 
trine of  the  divine  Decrees.  The  fact  alone  is  clear;  as  to  its 
details  and  particulars,  we  may  learn  a  lesson  from  those  fallen 
angels  who  are  represented  in  "Paradise  Lost"  as  wandering 
aimlessly  in  "the  mazes  of  fixed  fate,  free-will,  foreknowledge 
absolute."  It  is  certain,  however,  that  God  has  marked  out  a 
definite  plan  for  each  individual  life ;  and  success,  in  every 
case,  is  measured  by  our  compliance  with  and  adjustment  to 
it.  But  alas,  we  cross  the  lines  of  the  divine  purpose ;  we  fail 
because  we  take  issue  with  God  and  insist  on  having  our  own 
way. 

Not  so  with  Christ.  He  was  eternally  elected  to  do  a 
mighty  work.  He  was  foreordained  and  predestinated  to  live 
on  earth,  to  suffer  and  to  die  vicariously  for  men.  His  path 
was  thus  clearly  marked  out ;  and  he  proved  himself  the  per- 
fect Man  in  never  swerving  from  it.  Not  an  inch,  not  a  hair's 
breadth,  did  he  swerve  from  it !  The  shadow  of  the  cross 
loomed  up  at  the  end  of  his  pathway ;  and  he  "set  his  face 
steadfastly  to  go"  toward  it.  He  never  flinched!  He  never 
compromised !  His  name  is  deservedly  called  The  True,  be- 
cause he  knew  the  appointed  road  and -went  straight  on. 

And  being  "true"  to  prophecy  thus  far,  he  will  be  "faith- 
ful" until  all  shall  be  fulfilled.     Not  one  jot  or  tittle  of  that 


HOW    JOHN    SAW    HIM  55 

which  is  written  shall  pass  away  until  all  is  fulfilled  concern- 
ing him.  Here  is  the  foregleam  of  his  final  triumph.  The 
red  cross  is  destined  to  tower  on  all  the  headlands  of  the 
earth ;  and  he  who  is  The  True  and  Faithful  shall  reign 
where'er  the  sun  doth  his  successive  journeys  run. 

The  third  of  the  names  of  Christ  referred  to  in  this  vision 
is  The  Word  of  God. 

Here  the  dreamer  harks  back  to  the  Prologue  of  his  Gos- 
pel :  "In  the  beginning  was  the  Word,  and  the  Word  was  with 
God,  and  the  Wojd  was  God.  .  .  .  And  the  Word  became 
flesh  and  dwelt  among  us." 

The  significance  of  this  title  lies  in  the  fact  that  speech  is 
our  common  medium  of  communication.  It  is  through  our 
word,  passing  from  one  to  another,  that  we  become  mutually 
acquainted.  And  thus  it  is  that  Christ,  as  the  Logos,  be- 
comes the  full  and  complete  revelation  of  God.  The  Incarna- 
tion is,  so  to  speak,  the  articulation  of  the  speech  of  God.  And 
through  it  we  become  acquainted  with  him ;  as  Jesus  said, 
"He  that  hath  seen  me  hath  seen  the  Father:  how  sayest 
thou,  Show  us  the  Father?  Believest  thou  not  that  I  am  in 
the  Father,  and  the  Father  in  me  ?" 

In  Christ  we  have,  in  particular,  a  clear  unveiling  of  the 
three  moral  attributes  of  God : 

First,  his  holiness.  Its  symbol,  in  the  vision,  is  the  sword 
proceeding  out  of  his  mouth. 

By  this  we  are  given  to  understand  that  God's  holiness  is 
not  merely  negative,  that  is,  freedom  from  defilement.  It  is 
not  enough  to  say  that  God  sits  upon  his  throne,  encompassed 
by  angels  and  archangels  crying,  "Holy,  holy,  holy,  is  the  Lord , 
God,  the  Almighty !"  Nor  is  it  enough  to  say  of  Christ  that  he 
is  "the  holy  harmless  and  undefiled  One." 

His  holiness  makes  itself  seen  and  felt  in  an  unceasing 
and  implacable  war  upon  sin.  It  is  thus  that  he  "treadeth  the 
winepress  of  the  fierceness  of  the  wrath  of  Almighty  God."  It 
is  thus  that  "in  righteousness  he  doth  judge  and  make  war." 
He  hates  sin  with  an  inextinguishable  hatred,  by  reason  of 
all  the  evil  that  has  been  wrought  by  it.  At  the  head  of  his 
militant  host  he  goes  forth  against  "the  beast,"  until  he  shall 
utterly  destroy  it. 


56  "we   would   see  JESUS'* 

How  could  it  be  otherwise?  If  a  vandal  had  broken  into 
the  studio  of  Phidias  and  shattered  his  famous  statue  of 
Apollo  to  atoms,  would  he  have  viewed  that  vandal  with  com- 
placency, think  you?  Man  is  God's  masterpiece.  Sin,  the 
beast,  has  discrowned  and  corrupted  him,  blinded  him  to  the 
beauty  of  spiritual  things,  polluted  his  heart,  perverted  his 
conscience,  enfeebled  his  intellect  and  paralyzed  his  will.  It 
has  put  a  poisoned  chalice  to  his  lips,  saying,  "Drink  and  die !" 
And  for  this  reason  The  Word,  as  very  God  of  very  God, 
hates  sin  with  all  the  fury  possible  to  an  infinite  nature ;  and 
he  goes  forth  against  it.  This  is  the  Holy  War.  To  this  end 
the  Captain  on  his  white  horse  sets  out  with  his  White  Bat- 
talion ;  and  one  who  reads  history  aright  must  see  how  all 
events  are  moving  toward  the  final  consummation  when  the 
carcass  of  the  beast,  as  portrayed  in  the  sequel  of  this  vision, 
shall  be  given  to  the  fowls  of  the  air  to  feast  on. 

So  the  Word  becomes  our  avenger;  as  it  is  written,  "I 
looked,  and  there  was  none  to  help,  and  I  wondered  that  there 
was  none  to  uphold:  therefore  mine  own  arm  brought  salva- 
tion unto  me ;  and  my  wrath  it  upheld  me !"  Here  is  the  key 
to  all  those  passages  of  Scripture  which  refer  to  the  divine 
wrath. 

A  recent  article  in  one  of  our  Reviews  inveighs  against 
"the  Old  Testament  conception  of  God."  There  is  no_  such 
thing  as  "the  Old  Testament  conception  of  God."  He  is  the 
same  yesterday  and  to-day  and  for  ever.  The  New  Testament 
is  true  to  the  Old  Testament ;  Christ  is  the  revelation  of  God 
as  he  is  and  was  and  ever  will  be.  And  throughout  the  in- 
spired Book  he  is  consistently  set  forth  as  the  implacable  foe 
of  sin.  Whatever  of  wrath  or  fury  or  holy  indignation  there 
is  in  his  administration  of  affairs  is  always  against  sin ;  and 
it  is  always  in  the  behalf  of  the  children  of  men. 

The  second  of  the  moral  attributes  of  God,  namely,  his 
justice,  is  set  forth  symbolically  in  the  "vesture  dipped  in 
blood." 

It  is  a  mistake  to  think  of  God  as  always  sitting  in  court 
and  administering  on  the  lives  of  nations  and  men.  This  is 
only  the  negative  side  of  his  justice.  Its  positive  side  is  seen 
most  conspicuously  at  the  Cross.     For  here  is  where  God, 


HOW   JOHN    SAW    HIM  57 

manifest  in  Christ,  vindicates  the  offended  law  by  paying  to 
the  last  farthing  all  that  was  due  to  it.  The  blood  on  Christ's 
vesture  is  his  own  blood.  He  was  wounded  for  our  trans- 
gressions and  bruised  for  our  iniquities,  that  by  his  stripes  we 
might  be  healed.  Oh,  stupendous  cost  of  justice !  Thus  is  the 
question  answered,  "How  shall  God  be  just  and  yet  the  justifier 
of  the  ungodly?  And  that  other  question,  "How  can  a  man  be 
just  with  God?"    This  is  the  red  vintage  of  our  salvation: 

The  winepress!     The  winepress!     The  voice  is  from  God: 

The  floor  of  his  fury  is  now  to  be  trod; 

The  sins  of  all  nations  are  full  to  o'erflowing, 

And  the  blast  of  th'  avenger  from  heaven  is  blowing; 

In  the  red  robe  of  vengeance  triumphant  he  stands, 

And  blots  oiit  our  sentence  with  blood  in  his  hands. 

The  third  of  God's  moral  attributes,  namely,  his  Good- 
ness, is  apparent  in  the  personnel  of  the  army  that  follows 
Christ,  clothed  in  fine  linen,  white  and  pure.    Who  are  they  ? 

These  are  the  saints  triumphant,  whom  the  dreamer  saw  in 
a  former  vision,  standing  before  the  Throne,  clothed  in  white 
robes  and  with  palms  in  their  hands,  crying  with  a  loud  voice, 
"Salvation  unto  our  God !"  They  are  the  redeemed  in  heaven, 
who  "have  washed  their  robes  and  made  them  white  in  the 
blood  of  the  Lamb." 

It  would  be  another  mistake,  however,  to  think  of  the 
redeemed  as  having  nothing  to  do  but  to  encircle  the  throne 
and  sing  the  praises  of  the  Lamb.  They  go  forth  to  war 
with  him.  In  that  White  Battalion  are,  no  doubt,  many  of 
our  own  beloved  who  have  passed  on  before  us.  For  "are  they 
not  all  ministering  spirits,  sent  forth  to  do  service  for  the  sake 
of  them  that  shall  inherit  salvation  ?"  They  have  blessed  work 
to  do  as  "laborers  together  with  God."  They  are  enlisted 
in  the  Holy  War  under  the  Captain  of  our  Salvation  in  his 
crusade  against  the  beast.  As  Havelock  went  out  to  the  relief 
of  Lucknow,  so  do  the  glorified  saints  march  to  the  deliver- 
ance of  those  who  are  beleaguered  by  the  hosts  of  sin. 

But  the  Captain  of  our  Salvation  has  still  another  name: 
"He  hath  on  his  garment  and  on  his  thigh  a  name  written, 
King  of  Kings  and  Lord  of  Lords." 

In  this  we  have  the  sure  token  of  his  power  to  save.     "He 


58  "we  would  see  jesus" 

is  able  to  save  to  the  uttermost  them  that  draw  near  unto  God 
through  him." 

But  more  than  this,  here  is  the  token  of  his  final  triumph.  ' 
On  his  head  are  many  crowns  or  circlets.     He  is  the  King 
of  Kings;  for  the  kings  of  the  earth  do  bring  their  glory  and 
their  honor  unto  him. 

On  the  lonely  island  of  St.  Helena  the  exiled  Napoleon 
said,  "Tell  me,  Bertrand,  how  you  account  for  the  great  abyss 
between  my  misery  and  the  eternal  reign  of  Jesus.  I  am  for- 
gotten ;  so  it  is  with  Csesar  and  Alexander.  Our  exploits  are 
given  to  pupils  in  school  who  sit  in  judgment  upon  us ;  but 
behold  the  destiny  of  Christ !  His  kingdom  extends  over  the 
whole  earth ;  and  there  are  millions  who  would  die  for  him." 
The  reason  for  the  difference  is  plain.  The  name  of  Napo- 
leon, "Imperator,"  was  written  on  a  sword-hilt ;  while  the 
name  of  this  King  of  Kings  was  written  on  his  vesture  and 
thigh,  as  upon  an  empty  scabbard.  The  swords  of  Csesar  and 
Alexander  were  ever  ready  for  bloody  uses ;  but  the  sword  of 
Jesus  is  the  pacific  speech  of  Shiloh,  Prince  of  Peace.  His 
right  of  conquest  is  not  in  slaughter,  but  in  self-sacrifice.  His 
ultimate  triumph  is  by  "the  sword  of  the  Spirit,  which  is  the 
Word  of  God." 

Ride   on!     Ride  on  in  majesty! 

In  lowly  pomp  ride  on  to  die! 

Bow  thy  meek  head  to  mortal  pain; 

Then  take,  O  Christ,  thy  power  and  reign! 

The  crowning  day  is  coming !  The  dreamer  in  Patmos  saw 
an  angel  standing  in  the  sun,  calling  to  the  fowls  that  fly  in  the 
midst  of  heaven  to  come  and  feast  upon  the  banquet  of  slain 
sin.  Then  he  heard  the  voice  of  another  angel  calling  out  of 
heaven,  "Behold,  the  tabernacle  of  God  is  with  men :  and  he 
shall  dwell  with  them,  and  they  shall  be  his  peoples,  and  God 
himself  shall  be  with  them,  and  be  their  God !" 

Then  the  Hallelujah  Chorus!  All  angels  and  archangels 
join  with  the  innumerable  company  of  saints  redeemed  in  the 
shout,  "The  Lord  God  omnipotent  reigneth!" 


IX 

HOW  PAUL  SAW  HIM 

The  most  important  event,  apart  from  the  Atonement,  in 
the  opening  century  of  the  Christian  era,  was  the  conversion  of 
Saul  of  Tarsus.  As  chief  inquisitor  of  the  Sanhedrin  he  had 
been  the  foremost  figure  in  the  persecution  of  the  followers  of 
Christ.  And  this  he  did  with  a  good  conscience :  as  he  says, 
"I  verily  thought  with  myself  that  I  ought  to  do  many  things 
contrary  to  the  name  of  Jesus."  He  was  acting  under  the 
strict  compulsion  of  duty  when  he  "desired  letters  to  the  syna- 
gogues in  Damascus"  for  the  arrest  and  imprisonment  of  the 
Christians  there.  It  was  on  this  journey  that  the  whole  tenor 
of  his  life  and  character  was  changed.  "Suddenly  there  shone 
round  about  him  a  light  out  of  heaven ;  and  he  fell  to  the 
earth."  A  moment  later  he  arose  another  man.  He  was  so 
utterly  transformed  that  the  things  which  he  had  previously 
loved  he  now  "counted  but  loss,"  and  the  things  which  he  had 
hated  he  now  loved  better  than  life  itself.  From  that  hour 
he  was  as  zealous  in  following  Christ  as  he  had  been  in  de- 
nouncing him  and  in  persecuting  those  who  loved  him.  By 
what  power  was  this  sudden  transformation  wrought?  There 
is  no  effect  without  a  cause.   How  are  we  to  account  for  it? 

As  a  citizen  of  Jerusalem,  and  probably  a  member  of  the 
Sanhedrin,  he  must  have  been  familiar  with  the  singular  life 
of  Jesus.  He  had  heard  the  common  rumors  of  his  wonderful 
words  and  miracles:  but  he  shared  in  the  opinion  of  his  asso- 
ciates that  Jesus  was  an  impostor,  claiming  to  be  the  Messiah 
but  with  nothing  to  support  his  claim.  The  power  of  the  won- 
derful life  did  not  convince  him. 

He  must  have  been  familiar  also  with  the  circumstances 
attending  the  death  of  Jesus.     It  is  more  than  possible  that 

59 


6o  "we  would  see  jesus" 

he  had  a  voice  in  the  Council  that  passed  sentence  upon  him. 
To  many  minds  the  Cross  is  the  great  argument  in  demon- 
stration of  the  gospel.  The  infidel  Rousseau  confessed  that  it 
baffled  him :  "If  Socrates  died  like  a  philosopher,  then  Jesus 
died  like  a  god !"  But  Saul  of  Tarsus  was  proof  against  all 
this.  The  power  of  the  wonderful  death  did  not  convince 
him. 

What,  then,  was  it  that  turned  this  man  right  about  face? 
It  was  "the  power  of  his  resurrection."  He  had  supposed  that 
Jesus  was  dead  and  disposed  of;  but  here,  on  the  Damascus 
highway,  a  living  voice  calls,  "I  am  Jesus !"  This  voice,  with 
the  attendant  circumstances,  carries  conviction  with  it.  The 
conclusion  is  instant  and  inevitable :  "He  whom  I  supposed  to 
be  dead  is  risen  and  alive!  The  story  of  the  resurrection, 
which  his  followers  have  been  telling  far  and  wide,  is  no  empty 
tale!" 

Now  Saul  was  distinctly  a  logician.  He  was  the  most  dis- 
tinguished controversialist  of  his  time.  He  knew  the  force  of 
an  argument  when  he  saw  it.  To  this  voice  in  the  sunburst  he 
could  find  no  rational  reply  but  immediate  and  unconditional 
surrender:  "Lord,  what  wilt  thou  have  me  to  do?" 

The  power  of  the  wonderful  life  had  been  inefifective :  the 
power  of  the  wonderful  death  had  been  equally  so ;  but  the 
power  of  the  resurrection  of  Jesus  was  sufficient  to  convert 
Saul  of  Tarsus  into  Paul  the  Apostle.  The  thought  of  the 
living  Christ  became,  then  and  there,  the  dynamic  of  all  his 
plans  and  purposes ;  and,  from  that  hour  on  the  Damascus 
highway  up  to  the  moment  when  his  head  fell  from  the  block 
beneath  the  walls  of  Rome,  his  constant  ambition  was  to  live 
up  to  it. 

Let  us  inquire  as  to  the  significance  of  this  argument,  the 
argument  based  on  the  resurrection  of  Christ  as  its  postulate, 
which  so  profoundly  influenced  the  character  of  this  man. 

First,  it  was  to  his  mind  a  demonstration  that  Christ,  by 
virtue  of  his  indestructible  life,  was  very  God  of  very  God. 

The  primal  attribute  of  God  is  self-existence.  He  is  not 
only  the  living  God ;  he  is  the  Source  and  Fountain  of  life.  "In 
him  we  live  and  move  and  have  our  being" ;  but  he  "sits  on 
no  precarious  throne  nor  borrows  leave  to  be."     His  name, 


HOW  PAUL  SAW  HIM  6l 

Jehovah,  suggests  pure,  underived,  essential,  self-sustaining 
life.  The  same  truth  is  involved  in  the  name  by  which  he  de- 
clared himself  at  the  burning  bush,  "I  am  that  I  am"  or  "I 
am  because  I  am." 

Jesus  claimed  to  be  the  only-begotten  Son  of  God ;  not 
created,  nor  born,  but  begotten,  and  therefore  partaker  of 
this  primal  attribute.  "In  him  was  life."  He  said,  "I  am  the 
life."  He  also  said,  "I  have  power  to  lay  it  down,  and  I  have 
power  to  take  it  again" ;  in  other  words  life  was  his  in  such 
wise  that  he  could  do  what  he  pleased  with  it.  When  Pilate 
said,  "Knowest  thou  not  that  I  have  power  to  crucify  thee?" 
his  answer  was,  "Thou  wouldest  have  no  power  against  me 
except  it  were  given  thee  from  above."  If  his  life  were  taken 
from  him  it  was  because  he  chose  to  surrender  it :  and  in  that 
case  he  had  "power  to  take  it  again."  What  a  stupendous 
claim!  No  mortal  man  could  make  it.  If  he  could  prove  that 
assertion  he  would  vindicate  his  Godhood.    Could  he  prove  it? 

It  is  recorded  that  when  the  chief  priests  and  Pharisees 
came  to  Pilate  asking  that  the  sepulchre  of  Jesus  might  be 
made  sure,  "lest  haply  his  disciples  come  and  steal  him  away," 
he  answered,  "Go,  make  it  as  sure  as  ye  can."  They  went  ac- 
cordingly and  made  the  sepulchre  sure.  They  rolled  a  massive 
stone  before  it  whereon  was  affixed  the  great  seal  of  the  Em- 
pire, and  stationed  guards  round  about  to  defend  it.  He  that 
sitteth  in  the  heavens  shall  laugh !  As  well  might  Pilate  un- 
dertake to  imprison  the  beams  of  the  ascending  sun ! 

As  the  night  wore  on  the  sentinels  were  pacing  to  and  fro, 
when  suddenly  the  ground  began  to  tremble.  A  crash !  The 
rocks  were  reeling  and  tottering !  A  vivid  light  from  heaven ! 
The  seal  was  broken ;  the  stone  was  rolled  away ;  the  guards 
were  lying  prostrate  as  dead  men !  Then  from  the  shining 
heights  a  troop  of  angels  came  gliding  down  and  the  Prince 
of  Life  arose  from  his  tomb,  wiping  the  death-dew  from 
his  brow ;  and  the  angels  thronged  his  chariot  and  bore  him 
aloft  to  the  glory  that  awaited  him.  Listen !  Voices  from 
the  distance:  "Lift  up  your  heads,  O  ye  gates;  and  be  ye  lifted 
up,  ye  everlasting  doors,  and  the  king  of  glory  will  come  in !" 

So  Jesus  "was  declared  to  be  the  Son  of  God  with  power  by 
the  resurrection  from  the  dead."    He  rose  not  at  the  behest 


62  ''we  would  see  jesus'' 

of  a  voice  from  without  but  by  his  own  vohtion.  This  was 
the  crucial  test.  Had  it  failed  he  would  have  shown  himself, 
like  Samson  shorn  of  his  locks,  "weak  as  other  men." 

A  few  years  ago,  when  Schliemann  was  excavating  among 
the  ruins  of  Mycenae,  he  came  upon  the  tomb  of  Agamemnon, 
known  as  "the  King  of  Men."  There  were  three  swords,  a 
dented  shield,  and  a  golden  mask ;  all  else  was  dust !  Had  the 
body  of  Jesus  returned  in  like  manner  to  its  elemental  dust, 
his  boasted  sovereignty  of  life  would  have  vanished  into  thin 
air.  But  the  grave  could  not  confine  him.  To  the  mind  of 
Saul  of  Tarsus  this  power  of  an  underived  and  indestructible 
life  verified  his  claim  as  very  God  of  very  God. 

Second,  by  the  power  of  his  resurrection  it  was  made  clear 
that  Jesus  was  able  to  bestow  spiritual  life. 

We  are  smitten  unto  death  by  the  power  of  sin.  For 
"there  is  no  distinction ;  for  all  have  sinned" ;  and  the  sentence 
of  the  law  is,  "The  soul  that  sinneth  it  shall  die."  The  death 
here  indicated  is  alienation  from  God.  It  is  impossible  to 
imagine  a  hell  deeper  than  this  ;  to  be  for  ever  away  from 
God! 

"There  is  a  death  whose  pang 
Outlives  this  fleeting  breath; 
Oh,   what    eternal   horrors   hang 
Around   the   second   death!" 

But  Jesus  claimed  that  he  had  power  to  restore  life  to  those 
who  were  thus  "dead  in  trespasses  and  sins."  He  said,  "I  came 
that  they  may  have  life,  and  may  have  it  abundantly."  The 
life  to  which  he  referred  was  restoration  to  the  favor  of  God. 
This  could  only  be  effected  by  a  deliverance  from  the  penalty 
and  power  of  sin.  This  was  accomplished  by  Christ  who  "his 
own  self  bare  our  sins  in  his  body  upon  the  tree,"  and  whose 
"blood  cleanseth  us  from  all  sin."  He  said,  "The  Son  of  Man 
hath  power  on  earth  to  forgive  sins."    Could  he  prove  it? 

All  the  miracles  of  Jesus  are  directed  to  the  demonstration 
of  that  claim.  It  was  a  matter  of  comparatively  small  import 
that  he  should  heal  a  few  blind  men  and  lepers  in  a  world  full 
of  lepers  and  blind  men :  but  it  was  a  matter  of  vast  impor- 
tance that  by  opening  blind  eyes  he  should  demonstrate  his 
power  to  purge  our  spiritual  vision,  and  that  by  wiping  away 


now    PAUL    SAW    HIM  63 

the  leper's  spots  he  should  demonstrate  his  ability  to  cleanse 
the  soul.  Now  his  resurrection  was  simply  the  culmination 
of  all  his  miracles.  It  proved  not  only  that  he  was  the  self- 
existent  God,  but  that  he  was  also  the  "quickening  Spirit" ; 
able  to  restore  spiritual  life  to  those  who  were  "dead  under 
the  law."  Wherefore  it  is  written,  "You  did  he  make  alive 
when  ye  were  dead  through  your  trespasses  and  sins" ;  and 
again,  "God  made  us  alive  together  with  Christ  and  made  us 
to  sit  with  him  in  the  heavenly  places  in  Christ  Jesus." 

The  key  to  the  mystery  of  regeneration  is  in  this  electric 
touch  of  Christ  as  the  quickening  Spirit,  by  whom  we  receive 
the  joy  of  pardon,  the  peace  of  a  good  conscience  and  restora- 
tion to  the  complacent  love  of  God.  Thus  is  the  saying  of 
Christ  fulfilled,  "I  am  the  resurrection  and  the  life ;  he  that 
believeth  on  me,  though  he  die,  yet  shall  he  live ;  and  whoso- 
ever liveth  and  believeth  on  me  shall  never  die." 

Third,  the  power  of  the  resurrection  of  Christ  is  an  un- 
answerable argument  as  to  his  ability  to  confer  eternal  life  on 
those  who  believe  in  him. 

Eternal  life  does  not  mean  immortality.  Our  perpetual  ex- 
istence is  a  fact,  whether  or  no  we  desire  it.  The  breath  in 
our  nostrils  is  God's  breath ;  and  there  is  nothing  in  the  uni- 
verse that  can  quench  it.  We  are  bound  to  live  forever,  some- 
where. But  that  is  not  what  is  meant  by  eternal  life.  It  means 
an  unending  existence  in  communion  with  God,  in  perfect  har- 
mony with  all  his  plans  and  purposes  concerning  us,  and  in 
happy  obedience  to  his  holy  will. 

All  are  to  rise  in  the  general  resurrection ;  but  "some  to 
everlasting  life,  and  some  to  shame  and  everlasting  contempt." 
The  dead  in  Christ  shall  rise  first ;  and  shall  hear  his  voice  say- 
ing, "Come,  ye  blessed  of  my  Father,  inherit  the  kingdom  pre- 
pared for  you  from  the  foundation  of  the  world."  This  is 
"the  resurrection  of  the  just,"  of  which  it  is  written,  "Blessed 
is  he  that  hath  part  in  the  first  resurrection !"  All  true  be- 
lievers, who  have  suffered  with  Christ,  shall  then  reign  with 
him.  For  "if  we  have  become  united  with  him  in  the  likeness 
of  his  death,  we  shall  be  also  in  the  likeness  of  his  resurrec- 
tion." And  again,  "We  shall  be  like  him,  for  we  shall  see  him 
even  as  he  is." 


64 

Our  Lord  claimed  the  power  to  confer  this  eternal  life : 
"This  is  the  will  of  my  Father,  that  every  one  that  beholdeth 
the  Son  and  believeth  on  him,  should  have  eternal  life ;  and  I 
will  raise  him  up  at  the  last  day."  Here  is  another  and  equally 
stupendous  claim.    Could  he  prove  it? 

The  ultimate  proof  awaits  the  "consummation  of  all 
things."  It  would  appear,  however,  that  the  argument  which 
has  been  so  irresistible  thus  far  shall  not  fail  in  that  day.  As 
to  our  loved  ones  who  are  fallen  asleep,  we  do  not  mourn  for 
them  as  others  who  are  without  hope;  "for  if  we  believe  that 
Jesus  died  and  rose  again,  even  so  them  also  that  are  fallen 
asleep  in  Jesus  will  God  bring  with  him,"  He  who  came  forth 
from  the  sepulchre  as  "the  first  born  from  the  dead"  will 
not  forget  his  kinsfolk.  His  resurrection  as  "the  firstfruits  of 
them  that  sleep"  is  an  earnest  and  prophecy  of  our  resurrec- 
tion. As  the  first  sheaf  of  wheat  was  waved  before  the  altar  in 
prediction  of  the  coming  harvest,  so  is  the  risen  Christ  our  as- 
surance that  God's  Acre  shall  be  garnered  in  the  great  day. 

It  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that  the  argument  thus  pre- 
sented to  the  mind  of  Saul  of  Tarsus  was  conclusive.  The  fact 
that  Christ  had  conquered  death  was  a  vindication  of  all  his 
mighty  claims.  The  faith  which  emerged  from  the  experience 
of  that  memorable  day  was  never  shaken.  It  rings  with  a  tri- 
umphant note  of  certainty  in  the  resurrection  hymn:  "I  make 
known  unto  you  the  gospel :  .  ,  .  that  Christ  died  for  our 
sins  according  to  the  Scriptures,  and  that  he  was  buried  and 
that  he  hath  been  raised  on  the  third  day.  .  ,  .  How  then  say 
some  among  you  that  there  is  no  resurrection  of  the  dead?  But 
if  there  is  no  resurrection  of  the  dead,  neither  hath  Christ  been 
raised ;  and  if  Christ  hath  not  been  raised,  then  is  our  preach- 
ing vain :  your  faith  also  is  vain.  .  .  ,  Ye  are  yet  in  your 
sins!  Then  they  also  that*are  fallen  asleep  in  Christ  have  per- 
ished! If  we  have  only  hoped  in  Christ  in  this  life,  we  are  of 
all  men  most  pitiable.  But  now  hath  Christ  been  raised  from 
the  dead,  and  become  the  firstfruits  of  them  that  are  asleep, 
.  .  .  .  Then  shall  come  to  pass  the  saying  that  is  written, 
Death  is  swallowed  up  in  victory !  O  death,  where  is  thy 
victory?    O  death,  where  is  thy  sting?    The  sting  of  death  is 


HOW    PAUL    SAW    HIM  65 

sin ;  and  the  power  of  sin  is  the  law ;  but  thanks  to  God,  who 
giveth  us  the  victory  through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ." 

Oh  for  Paul's  vision  of  the  living  Christ !  I  have  read  the 
legend  of  a  monk  who  stood  weeping  under  his  crucifix,  weary 
of  penance,  when  suddenly  his  Lord  appeared  saying,  "Weep 
not  for  me  nor  for  thyself.  Because  I  live,  thou  livest  also. 
Hear  thou  the  call  for  help !  The  world  needs  thee.  Go  forth 
to  thy  duty ;  and  I  will  ever  be  with  thee."  It  was  the  very 
voice  that  Saul  of  Tarsus  heard  on  the  highway :  and  it  speaks 
in  like  manner  to  us. 

There  is  only  one  answer,  "Lord,  what  wilt  thou  have  me 
to  do?"  "If  ye  then  were  raised  together  with  Christ,  seek 
the  things  which  are  above,  where  Christ  is  seated  on  the  right 
hand  of  God."  He  is  a  living,  loving  friend,  and  never  far 
from  every  one  of  us. 

"Wherefore,  my  beloved  brethren,  be  ye  steadfast,  unmov- 
able,  always  abounding  in  the  work  of  the  Lord ;  forasmuch  as 
ye  know  that  your  labor  is  not  in  vain  in  the  Lord." 


X 

HOW  PILATE  SAW  HIM 

Look  well  at  this  man :  for  he  saw  Jesus,  knew  who  he  was, 
trembled  at  his  gaze  and  still  rejected  him! 

It  would  be  hard  to  find  a  more  striking  contrast  than  was 
witnessed  in  the  Judgment  Hall.  Pilate  sat  on  an  ivory  throne, 
clothed  in  purple,  his  famous  ruby  blazing  in  his  turban :  while 
Jesus  stood  in  the  prisoner's  box,  pale,  worn  with  a  night  of 
weary  vigils,  and  bearing  the  scars  of  a  whip  of  scorpions. 

And  Pilate  said,  "Behold  the  man  !"  No  need  to  say  it.  We 
cannot  avoid  beholding  him.  He  stands  perpetually  at  Gab- 
batha,  demanding,  "What  think  ye  of  me?"  Listen,  and  you 
will  hear  the  world  talking  about  him.  Turn  to  the  oracles, 
and  lo,  from  every  page  his  face,  marred  but  divinely  beautiful, 
looks  out  upon  you.  Open  your  newspaper,  and  mark  his  influ- 
ence upon  current  events.  "Behold  the  man !"  He  is  the  com- 
manding figure  in  the  record  of  nations  and  the  children  of 
men. 

And  observe  the  "fan  in  his  hand,"  with  which  he  ever 
purges  his  floor.  He  draws  a  line  through  the  midst  of  the 
people,  setting  them  apart,  believers  on  one  side  and  non-be- 
lievers on  the  other,  saying,  "He  that  is  not  with  me  is  against 
me."  No,  we  cannot  avoid  him.  We  are  bound  to  decide  for 
or  against  him.  And  every  hour  is  the  hour  of  decision.  His 
eyes  are  like  those  in  Domenichino's  portrait ;  wherever  we  go 
they  follow  us. 

But  just  now  it  is  with  the  other  man  that  we  have  to  do — 
Pilate,  the  pilloried  coward.  Ecce  homo!  Behold  that  man! — 
the  truckler,  the  compromiser,  the  man  who  knew  his  duty  and 
did  it  not. 

66 


HOW   PILATE   SAW   HlM  dj 

Who  was  he?  In  early  Hfe  he  went  to  war  and  distin- 
guished himself  on  the  field  of  battle.  He  then  entered  politics, 
and  by  rapid  steps  of  promotion  rose  to  be  the  Governor  of 
Judfea.  His  headquarters  were  now  in  the  Roman  capital  at 
Cjesarea ;  but  he  had  recently  come  up  to  Jerusalem  to  preserve 
order  during  the  Passover,  because  the  Jews  were  proverbially 
a  turbulent  race.  He  was  in  charge  of  the  garrison  at  the  Castle 
of  Antonia,  where  doubtless  he  kept  well  indoors,  being  the 
best  hated  man  in  the  country.  Not  long  before  this  he  had 
built  an  aqueduct  and  paid  for  it  out  of  Corban,  the  sacred 
treasury  of  Israel.  A  little  later  he  set  up  a  Roman  standard 
in  Jerusalem  on  which  was  the  name  of  the  emperor,  to  which 
divine  honors  were  paid ;  and  when  the  Jews  rebelled  and  beset 
the  governor's  gates,  he  recalled  the  idolatrous  symbol,  allow- 
ing them  to  have  their  way.  It  w^as  only  recently  that  a  band  of 
Galilean  peasants  were  worshiping  at  the  altar,  when  Pilate, 
having  an  accusation  against  them,  sent  a  detachment  of  Ro- 
man troops  and  "mingled  their  blood  with  their  sacrifices."  No 
wonder  the  Jews  hated  and  gnashed  their  teeth  at  him ! 

But  just  now  they  had  need  of  this  man.  As  a  subjugated 
people  they  had  lost  the  power  of  life  and  death.  In  order  to 
crucify  Christ  they  must  have  the  governor's  approval.  So  on 
the  morning  of  this  April  day  he  was  awakened  bright  and 
early  by  their  beating  at  his  gates.  No  doubt  he  arose  from  his 
couch  with  reluctance  and  muttering  maledictions  on  these  mal- 
contents. Seeing  their  prisoner,  he  demanded  of  them,  "What 
accusation  bring  ye  against  this  man?"  All  night  in  the  San- 
hedrin  they  had  sat  in  judgment  on  this  prisoner,  the  charge 
being  blasphemy,  in  that,  claiming  to  be  the  Messiah,  he  "made 
himself  equal  with  God."  But  as  no  Roman  magistrate  would 
take  cognizance  of  religious  matters  they  must  needs  trump  up 
a  new  indictment.  It  was  practically  a  charge  of  rebellion  in 
three  specifications :  First,  he  had  "perverted  the  nation."  Sec- 
ond, he  had  forbidden  the  payment  of  tribute  to  Caesar.  And, 
third,  he  had  proclaimed  himself  a  king.  This  was  the  case 
on  wdiich  Pilate  must  determine ;  and  there  was  no  escape 
from  it. 

Pilate  knew  about  Christ.  No  one  could  be  living  in  Jeru- 
salem at  that  time  without  knowing  about  him.    His  wonderful 


6S  "we  would  see  jesus" 

words  and  works  were  in  the  air.  And  besides,  Pilate  had  just 
had  a  personal  interview  with  him,  in  which  he  asked,  "Art 
thou  the  king  of  the  Jews?"  to  which  Jesus  answered,  "Thou 
sayest.  .  .  .  My  kingdom  is  not  of  this  world.  .  .  .  To 
this  end  am  I  come  into  the  world,  that  I  should  bear  witness 
unto  the  truth,"  So,  being  fully  informed  as  to  his  prisoner, 
the  question  was,  what  should  he  do  with  him  ? 

Pilate  zvas  fully  persuaded  as  to  the  character  of  Christ. 
This  was  evidenced  in  his  statement,  "I  find  no  fault  in  this 
man."  It  is  a  singular  fact  that  even  the  enemies  of  Jesus  have 
been  always  united  in  bearing  this  testimony.  He  himself  had 
uttered  the  challenge,  "Which  of  you  convicteth  me  of  sin?" 
Who,  indeed?  Not  his  friends,  who  believe  him  to  be  chiefest 
among  ten  thousand  and  altogether  lovely.  Not  his  enemies, 
for  never  have  nobler  eulogiums  been  passed  upon  him  than  by 
such  infidels  as  Lucian,  Porphyry,  Spinoza,  Rousseau, 
Goethe,  David  Strauss,  Theodore  Parker  and  Renan.  All  are 
agreed  that  he  was  the  Blameless  One. 

Pilate  had  been  warned  concerning  him.  Not  only  had  his 
conscience  rung  the  alarm — as  conscience  is  ever  "accusing  or 
else  excusing"  us — but  he  had  received  a  special  admonition. 
His  wife  Procula  had  dreamed  in  the  waking  hours  of  the 
morning — the  hour  when  it  was  popularly  supposed  all  dreams 
came  true — and  tradition  gives  her  dream.  She  saw  a  confla- 
gration consuming  temples  and  palaces,  licking  up  forests  and 
burning  the  heavens  like  a  parched  scroll,  so  that  nothing  could 
extinguish  it.  There  were  cries  of  the  homeless  and  fear- 
stricken.  Thereupon  a  lamb  appeared,  and  as  it  mounted  the 
flaming  pyre  its  side  was  pierced,  blood  gushed  forth,  and  the 
fires  were  quenched.  Then  the  lamb  assumed  a  human  form, 
the  appearance,  as  the  dreamer  said, 

"Of  a  man  divine  and  passing  fair, 
And  like  your  august  prisoner  there." 

Wherefore  she  said,  "Have  thou  nothing  to  do  with  that  right- 
eous man !" 

Pilate's  cowardice  zvas  aggravated  by  his  repeated  attempts 
at  evasion.  He  made  seven  appeals,  in  his  desperate  efifort  to 
shift  the  responsibility  of  passing  judgment  on  Christ.     His 


HOW   PILATE   SAW    HIM  69 

first  was  to  the  prisoner  himself  :  "Hearest  thou  not  how  many 
things  they  witness  against  thee?"  And  Jesus  answered  never 
a  word,  insomuch  that  the  governor  marveled  greatly.  He  was 
probably  not  aware  of  the  prophecy  which  had  been  written 
concerning  him,  "As  a  sheep  before  her  shearers  is  dumb,  so  he 
openeth  not  his  mouth." 

His  second  appeal  was  to  the  religious  leaders :  "I,  having 
examined  him  before  you,  found  no  fault  in  him  touching  those 
things  whereof  ye  accuse  him."  Their  reply  was  simply  a  more 
vehement  outburst  against  him. 

His  third  appeal  was  to  the  mob.  It  would  have  been  as 
well  to  sing  a  lullaby  to  a  cyclone ;  they  cried  the  more  loudly, 
"Crucify  him  !    Crucify  him  !" 

His  fourth  appeal  was  to  diplomacy.  At  this  time  Herod 
the  Tetrarch  happened  to  be  on  a  visit  to  Jerusalem  ;  and  it 
occurred  to  Pilate  that  the  case  of  his  prisoner,  who  was  a  Gali- 
lean, fell  properly  within  his  colleague's  jurisdiction.  A  happy 
thought !  He  straightway  sent  him  to  Herod.  But  the  Galilean 
tetrarch  returned  the  prisoner  with  his  compliments,  being  too 
old  a  schemer  to  be  caught  that  way.  In  point  of  fact  no  man 
can  evade  the  responsibility  of  passing  personal  judgment  on 
Christ.     Herod  always  sends  him  back. 

The  fifth  appeal  of  Pilate  was  to  custom.  A  prisoner  was 
usually  released  at  the  time  of  the  Passover.  The  governor 
now  gave  the  people  an  alternative  between  Jesus  and  Barab- 
bas,  who  was  a  notorious  thief  and  murderer.  To  his  dismay 
they  demanded  the  release  of  Barabbas !  "What  then  shall  I 
do  unto  Jesus,  who  is  called  the  Christ  ?"  he  inquired.  "Crucify 
him  !    Crucify  him  !" 

His  sixth  appeal  was  to  compromise.  "I  will  chastise  him," 
he  said,  "and  release  him."  Shame  upon  him  for  a  Roman 
magistrate!  His  prisoner  was  either  innocent  or  guilty;  if 
guilty,  let  him  sufifer  the  just  penalty ;  if  innocent,  set  him  free ! 
Compromise  never  pays.  "Nothing  is  settled  until  it  is  settled 
right."  No  man  or  church  can  "split  the  difiference"  in  moral 
or  spiritual  things. 

The  seventh  and  last  appeal  was  to  his  own  accusing  con- 
science. He  took  water  and  washed  his  hands  before  the  mul- 
titude, saying,  "I  am  innocent  of  the  blood  of  this  righteous 


yo  "we  would  see  jesus" 

man ;  see  ye  to  it."     Shakespeare  probably  caught  from  this 
tragic  incident  his  thought  of  Macbeth's  remorse : 

"Will  all  great  Neptune's  ocean  wash   this  blood 
Clean  from  my  hand?     No;  this  my  hand  will  rather 
The  multitudinous   seas  incarnadine, 
Making  the  green  one  red." 

The  question  arises.  How  did  Pilate  descend  so  low  in  cow- 
ardice? In  all  probability  it  began  with  trifling  in  religious 
things.  He  lived  in  an  age  of  cynicism,  when  the  foundations 
of  religion  were  broken  up.  It  may  be  that,  mingling  with  the 
soldiers  at  the  camp-fire,  he  had  made  sport  of  the  gods ;  and 
the  habit  grew  upon  him  until,  facing  the  great  problem,  he 
curled  his  lip  in  the  satirical  question,  "What  is  truth?" 

In  addition  to  this  he  was  constitutionally  a  truckler.  If  he 
had  convictions  he  was  ever  ready  to  waive  them  in  deference 
to  public  opinion.  Just  here  is  the  test  of  moral  heroism.  There 
is  many  a  man  who,  like  Pilate,  has  distinguished  himself  on 
the  high  places  of  the  field,  who  finds  himself  unable  to  face 
a  pointed  finger. 

Still  further,  Pilate  was  a  sycophant.  As  an  office-holder, 
he  knew  himself  to  be  in  the  line  of  promotion  and  must  do 
nothing  to  forfeit  his  chance.  The  people  touched  the  raw 
spot  when  they  said,  "If  thou  release  this  man,  thou  art  not 
C?esar's  friend,"  The  C?esar  at  that  time  was  Tiberius,  a  jeal- 
ous tyrant  wdio  owned  his  subordinates,  body  and  soul.  It 
would  be  bad  policy_for  Pilate  to  offend  him. 

What  was  the  result?  Tiberius  was  presently  ofif  the  throne 
and  Caligula  was  in  power.  Pilate  was  summoned  before  him 
to  answer  to  certain  charges  of  malfeasance  in  office;  and  a 
little  later  he  found  himself  an  exile  and  wanderer  in  Gaul.  He 
ended  his  life  at  Lake  Lucerne,  where  the  peasants  say  that 
once  a  year  a  spectre  rises  from  the  water,  wringing  its  hands 
in  impotent  despair. 

"By  God   abhorred,  by  man   despised, 

Shunned  by  the  fiends  below, 
Where  shall  the  wretch,  to  hide  himself 
And  hide  his  meanness,  go?" 

But  let  us  not  be  too  severe  in  our  judgment  of  Pilate. 
Rather,  let  hirn  that  is  without  sin  cast  the  first  stone  at  him. 


HOW   PILATE   SAW    HIM  7I 

There  stands  Jesus  at  Gabbatha ;  and  the  demand  is  upon  us, 
What  shall  we  do  with  him  ?  Will  we  also  chastise  him  and  let 
him  go  ?  Will  we  send  him  to  Herod  ?  Nay  ;  he  will  evermore 
return  to  us !  Shall  we  praise  him  in  mock  heroics,  and,  while 
admiring  his  splendid  character,  reject  his  divine  claims? 
From  the  dishonesty  of  mere  sentiment,  good  Lord,  deliver  us  ! 
The  most  despicable  thing  that  ever  was  said  about  Jesus  was 
"Behold  the  man !"  Let  us  be  logical  and  say  again  that  Christ 
was  what  he  claimed  to  be  or  else  an  impostor  who  deserved 
the  death  that  befell  him.  There  is  no  middle  ground.  He 
either  bore  our  sins  in  his  own  body  on  the  tree,  or  else  the 
Christian  world  for  nineteen  centuries  has  been  under  a  delu- 
sion respecting  him. 


XI 
LOOK  AROUND  YOU 

There  were  two  strings  to  Paul's  harp.  One  of  them 
sounded  the  story  of  his  conversion ;  the  other  "This  Jesus  is 
the  Christ."  In  the  synagogue  at  Thessalonica  he  is  said  to 
have  reasoned  with  the  Jews  on  three  successive  Sabbaths, 
"opening  and  alleging  that  it  behooved  the  Christ  (that  is,  the 
Messiah)  to  suffer,  and  to  rise  again  from  the  dead;  and  that 
this  Jesus  whom  I  proclaim  unto  you  is  the  Christ." 

I  imagine  him  with  the  scrolls  of  scripture  in  his  hands 
thus  "opening  and  alleging"  that  Jesus  of  Nazareth  whom 
they  with  wicked  hands  had  crucified  was  really  their  Messiah, 
"whom  kings  and  prophets  longed  to  see  and  died  without  the 
sight." 

Paul  was  a  great  master  of  dialectics  and  a  biblical  expert 
as  well ;  but  the  task  before  him  was  no  easy  one.  His  hearers 
believed  in  the  scriptures  and  they  also  believed  in  the  Messiah ; 
but  they  did  not  believe  that  Jesus  of  Nazareth  was  the  Christ. 
The  odds  were  greatly  against  Paul  in  his  effort  to  convince 
them,  because  it  was  only  twenty  years  before  that  their  re- 
ligious leaders  had  hung  this  same  Jesus  on  an  accursed  tree. 
Was  that  a  frightful  mistake?  Or,  if  so,  was  it  to  be  expected 
that  they  would  acknowledge  it? 

The  apostle's  mode  of  procedure  on  this  occasion  was  to 
open  the  Scriptures  and  show  how  precisely  Jesus  corresponded 
with  the  silhouette  which  the  prophets  had  drawn.  It  was  a 
wise  method,  and  should  have  been  satisfactory  to  all.  No  un- 
biased reader  of  the  Old  Testament  can  fail  to  perceive  the 
correspondence  referred  to.  It  is  so  exact  in  the  minutest 
details  and  particulars  relating  to  His  birth,  His  character,  His 

72 


LOOK  AROUND  YOU  73 

preaching,  His  miracles,  His  death  and  His  resurrection,  that 
it  is  difficult  to  escape  the  force  of  it. 

Let  us,  however,  pursue  a  different  Hne  of  argument.  A 
good  many  people  in  our  time  reject  the  Scriptures  altogther 
as  ultimate  authority  for  anything,  while  others  know  little; 
about  them  and  some  care  less.  It  is  safe  to  say,  nevertheless, 
that  even  these  are  interested  in  the  question  whether  Jesus 
is  the  Christ  or  not.  It  is  for  their  benefit  that  the  argument 
is  now  presented  from  another  point  of  view. 

We  are  living  nineteen  centuries  away  from  the  Messianic 
drama.  Meanwhile  the  world  has  been  moving  and  there  are 
existing  facts  which  need  to  be  accounted  for ;  and  these  facts 
are  such,  in  my  opinion,  that  they  can  only  be  accounted  for 
on  the  assumption  that  Jesus  of  Nazareth  was  what  He  claimed 
to  be. 

To  begin  with,  take  the  dynamic  truths  which  are  now  prev- 
alent and  uppermost  in  the  religious  thought  of  the  whole  civ- 
ilized world. 

First,  there  is  the  Doctrine  of  God.  It  is  agreed  on  all 
hands  that  "God  is  Love."  We  are  so  familiar  with  the  phrase 
that  we  accept  it  as  a  matter  of  course.  In  fact,  however,  it  is 
peculiar  to  those  Christian  nations  over  whom  has  fallen  the 
blessing  of  the  wonderful  words  of  Jesus,  "When  ye  pray  say, 
Our  Father."  It  is  not  claimed,  nor  is  it  necessary  for  the 
argument  in  hand  to  affirm,  that  Jesus  originated  this  concep- 
tion of  God.  Let  it  suffice  to  say  that  he  emphasized  it,  and 
that  it  prevails  in  Christendom  and  nowhere  else. 

The  second  of  the  prevalent  thoughts  is  that  man  is  the  way- 
ward child  of  God.  All  are  agreed,  whether  Christians  or  not, 
that  there  is  something  divine  in  man  and  that  something  has 
gone  wrong  with  him.  To  put  it  in  Christian  phrase,  he  was 
created  in  the  divine  likeness  but  has  fallen  from  his  high  estate  ; 
so  that  "there  is  none  that  doeth  good,  no  not  one."  Here  again 
it  is  not  necessary  to  affirm  that  Jesus  originated  either  the  doc- 
trine of  the  divine  origin  of  man  or  the  doctrine  of  the  fall. 
We  say  merely  that  this  was  the  conception  of  man  set  forth 
constantly  in  the  preaching  of  Christ  and  that  it  is  universally 
accepted  in  the  civilized  world  to-day. 

The  third  of  the  generally  accepted  truths  is  that  no  effective 


74  WE   WOULD   SEE   JESUS 

plan  has  been  devised  for  reconciling  a  sinful  man  with  a  holy 
God  by  the  blotting-  out  of  past  sin  unless  it  can  be  found  in  the 
atonement  of  Christ.  In  all  the  sacred  books  of  the  false  relig- 
ions there  is  no  intimation  of  any  such  plan.  In  the  teaching 
of  Christ  we  are  advised  that  he  "tasted  death  for  every  man," 
so  that  whosoever  believeth  in  Him  should  have  eternal  life.  All 
men  do  not  accept  that  suggestion  ;  but  all  practically  agree  that 
there  is  no  other  way ;  which  is  precisely  what  he  said :  "No  one 
Cometh  unto  the  Father  but  by  me."  ' 

It  thus  appears  that  the  three  salient  truths  that  were  pre- 
sented in  the  teachings  of  Jesus — as  to  God,  man  and  reconcil- 
iation with  God — are  the  three  potent  conceptions  in  the  relig- 
ious thought  of  the  world  to-day.  In  other  words,  he  of  whom 
it  was  said,  "Never  man  spake  like  this  man,"  has  in  the  logic 
of  events  come  to  be  the  supreme  teacher  of  religion,  even 
among  those  who  do  not  concede  his  IMessianic  claims.  This 
is  a  marvelous  thing  and  surely  worthy  of  consideration.  How 
can  it  be  accounted  for? 

We  turn  now  to  tJie  moral  principles  which  prevail 
among  the  civilized  people  of  the  world.  All  these  center  in 
the  Decalogue.  It  is  not  claimed  that  Jesus  made  any  revolu- 
tionary change  in  the  Ten  Commandments,  or  even  that  they 
are  peculiar  to  the  Word  of  God.  On  the  other  hand,  the 
moral  principles  which  they  formulate  are  in  the  nature  of  a 
generic  intuition,  having  been  written  in  the  nerve  and  sinew 
of  the  human  constitution  before  they  were  inscribed  on  tables 
of  stone.  But  Jesus  charged  those  Commandments  with  a, 
practical  significance  such  as  they  never  had  before ;  and  his 
interpretation  of  the  Decalogue  is  now  accepted  by  all. 

First,  he  simplified  them  by  reducing  them  to  a  brief  sum- 
mary, as  folloAvs :  "Thou  shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God  with  all 
thy  heart,"  and  "Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself,"  or, 
more  briefly  still,  as  Paul  puts  it,  "Love  is  the  fulfilment  of  the 
law." 

Second,  he  analyzed  them,  going  beneath  the  surface  and 
placing  the  motive  behind  the  overt  act.  This  analysis  is  now 
recognized  in  every  court  of  justice.  Listen  to  this :  "Ye  have 
heard  that  it  was  said  to  them  of  old  time.  Thou  shalt  not  kill ; 
but  I  say  unto  you  that  every  one  who  is  angry  with  his  brother 


LOOK  AROUND  YOU  75 

shall  be  in  danger  of  the  judgment.  Ye  have  heard  that  it 
was  said,  Thou  shalt  not  commit  adultery,  but  I  say  unto  you 
that  the  offence  is  committed  in  an  unclean  glance  !  Wherefore, 
if  thy  right  eye  causeth  thee  to  stumble,  pluck  it  out ;  and  if 
thy  right  hand  causeth  thee  to  stumble,  cut  it  off  and  cast  it 
from  thee."  In  such  teaching  as  this  the  law  becomes  "quick 
and  powerful  even  to  the  dividing  asunder  of  the  joints  and 
marrow,"  and  is  seen  to  be  "a  discerner  of  the  thoughts  and 
intents  of  the  heart." 

Third,  he  gave  the  Moral  Law  a  personal  application  which 
it  never  had  before.  He  yoked  up  precept  with  practice  when 
he  said,  "By  their  fruits  ye  shall  know  them."  It  is  no  uncom- 
mon thing  in  the  Orient  to  find  a  very  devout  Hindu  or  Moham- 
medan who  is  nevertheless  a  notoriously  wicked  man  ;  but  under 
the  teaching  of  Christ  it  has  come  to  be  understood  that  faith 
and  conduct  must  go  with  even  pace.  Here  are  some  words 
that  have  come  ringing  down  through  the  centuries :  "Ye  are 
the  salt  of  the  earth  ;  but  if  the  salt  have  lost  its  savor  where- 
with shall  it  be  salted  ?  It  is  thenceforth  good  for  nothing  but 
to.be  cast  out  and  trodden  under  foot  of  men.  Ye  are  the  light 
of  the  world.  .  .  .  Let  your  light  so  shine  before  men  that 
they  may  see  your  good  works  and  glorify  your  Father  who 
is  in  heaven." 

Now  this  interpretation  of  the  Ten  Commandments  is  ac- 
cepted by  the  civilized  world.  The  very  criticisms  which  are 
directed  at  Christians  for  not  living  up  to  their  profession  are  a 
splendid  tribute  to  Christ  as  a  moral  teacher.  In  charging  them 
with  inconsistency  these  critics  allow  that  he  was  the  teacher  of 
a  consistent  faith.  Thus  they  magnify  the  significance  of  his 
ethics.  Can  this  be  said  of  any  other  of  the  great  moralists? 
Has  Seneca,  or  Epictetus  or  Marcus  Aurelius  left  such  an  im- 
pression on  the  minds  of  nations  and  the  children  of  men?  How 
shall  we  explain  it? 

Let  us  now  take  the  miracles  of  Jesus.  I  do  not  mean  the 
miracles  of  healing  which  he  wrought  during  his  ministry. 
Great  was  their  evidential  value ;  but  there  are  other  and  more 
wonderful  miracles  which  this  same  Jesus  is  working  now. 

First,  the  miracle  of  Regeneration.  Nicodemus  was  greatly 
puzzled  when  Jesus  said,  "Except  a  man  he  born  anew  he  can- 


'/6  "we  would  see  jesus" 

not  see  the  kingdom  of  God" ;  but  his  amazement  was  quite 
uncalled  for.  Regeneration  is  one  of  the  common  miracles,  oc- 
curring constantly,  all  about  us.  Go  down  to  Cremorne  Mis- 
sion and  you  shall  see  a  man  who  was  a  reeling  drunkard  not 
long  ago ;  he  rises,  clothed  in  his  right  mind,  and  says,  "I  have 
found  Jesus  which  is  called  the  Christ."  Go  down  to  any  of 
our  Midnight  Missions  and  you  shall  see  a  woman,  who  until 
recently  was  a  common  drab,  rejoicing  in  peace  and  self-re- 
spect ;  and  she  will  tell  you  that  Jesus  has  done  it.  This  is  a 
miracle  more  wonderful  than  the  opening  of  blind  eyes  or  the 
wiping  away  of  lepers'  spots.  And  thousands  of  such  miracles 
are  being  wrought,  in  Jesus'  name,  every  day. 

It  is  related  that  Napoleon  once  said  to  the  members  of  his 
old  guard,  who  were  discussing  the  question  before  us,  "Do 
you  mean  to  tell  me  that  a  dead  man  could  reach  a  dead  hand 
across  these  eighteen  hundred  years  and  demand  the  surrender 
of  a  human  heart  and  get  it?" 

Second,  the  miracle  of  Sanctification.  Those  who  have  been 
converted  in  the  name  of  Jesus  proceed  at  once  to  the  building 
of  character:  and  this  they  do  by  imitating  him.  The  glory 
of  his  gospel  is  that  it  makes  men  like  our  Christian  fathers, 
and  women  like  our  Christian  mothers,  who  have  lived  in  grace 
and  died  without  fear.  Were  they  perfect?  By  no  means ;  but 
they  were  sincerely  trying  to  be. 

The  third  miracle  is  Philanthropy.  The  great  enterprises 
which  make  for  the  betterment  of  humanity  are  practically  con- 
fined to  those  nations  which  are  under  the  luminous  shadow  of 
the  Cross.  We  do  not  look  for  hospitals,  asylums  or  reforma- 
tories anywhere  else.  The  Church  itself  is  a  great  philan- 
thropy. Let  me  enter  here,  as  documentary  evidence  in  this 
case,  a  book  called  "The  Charities  Directory  of  New  York 
City."  Here  are  more  than  eleven  thousand  organizations  de- 
signed for  the  relief  of  the  poor  and  needy.  By  whom  are 
they  sustained  and  carried  on  ?  Look  for  yourself.  They  are 
almost  without  exception  under  the  substantial  patronage  of 
religious  bodies.  Let  those  who  criticise  the  Church  reflect 
upon  this  fact.  I  grant  you,  the  Church  is  not  what  it  should 
be ;  but  it  has  more  charitable  strength  in  its  little  finger  than 
all  its  cavilling  critics  have  in  their  loins. 


LOOK  AROUND  YOU  77 

The  fourth  miracle  is  Progress — the  greatest  miracle  of 
all.  Take  a  map  of  the  world  and  draw  a  line  around  all  civil- 
ized lands.  What  have  you  done  ?  You  have  outlined  "Chris- 
tendom." The  name  is  significant.  It  means  that  civilization 
and  evangelization  have  been  practically  identical.  The  pro- 
gress of  the  centuries  has  been  in  the  name  of  Jesus.  The 
moral  forces  which  he  set  in  motion  have  been  at  work  like 
leaven,  leavening  the  lump.  Call  the  roll  of  the  nations :  Chris- 
tian Italy !  Christian  Germany !  Christian  France  !  Christian 
Russia  !  Christian  Austria  !  Christian  England  !  Christian 
America !  And  pause  a  moment  before  you  say,  "Christian 
China" ;  for  China,  with  her  six  hundred  millions  even  now,  as 
she  emerges  from  barbaric  night,  is  turning  her  eyes  with  un- 
certain but  pathetic  longing  toward  the  Cross.  Can  you  ac- 
count for  this?  Can  you  explain  Christendom?  We  do  not 
have  to  explain  it.  This  Jesus  is  the  Christ !  He  came  into 
the  world  to  establish  a  kingdom  of  truth  and  righteousness ; 
and  he  is  here  personally  to  see  that  the  gates  of  hell  shall  not 
prevail  against  it. 

Let  us  turn  to  another  fact  in  the  circumstances  of  our  time 
which  is  still  more  difficult  to  account  for;  namely,  the  per- 
sonal presence  of  Jesus  in  the  world. 

This  is  claimed  to  be  a  real  presence;  no  less  real,  no  less 
living,  no  less  energetic  than  when  he  was  visibly  dwelling 
among  men.  His  promise  to  his  disciples  was,  "I  will  not 
leave  you.  Lo,  I  am  with  you  always,  even  unto  the  end  of 
the  world."  Is  that  promise  fulfilled?  The  other  mighties  of 
the  past  have  lived,  served  their  generations,  died  and  left 
nothing  but  dust  and  a  memory  behind  them.  Not  so  with 
Jesus.  There  are  some  hundreds  of  millions  of  people  in  the 
world  who  will  tell  you  that  they  constantly  walk  and  talk 
with  him.  And  these  witnesses  are  of  such  a  character  that 
their  testimony  cannot  be  ruled  out  of  court.  A  derisive  smile 
or  a  lifting  of  one's  eyebrows  will  not  answer  it. 

Moreover,  it  is  claimed  that  Jesus,  thus  jDersonally  present 
with  his  people,  is  the  only  perfect  One.  Along  with  a  con- 
fession of  the  sinfulness  of  all  others,  there  is  a  singular  una- 
nimity— notwithstanding  the  fiercest  scrutiny  and  the  most  un- 
sparing criticism — as  to  the  sinlessness  of  Christ.    The  judg- 


78  "we  would  see  jesus" 

ment  that  was  passed  upon  him  by  the  man  who  sentenced  him 
to  death  is  echoed  by  the  world  to-day,  "I  find  no  fault  in  this 
Man!" 

Still  further,  this  Jesus  is  the  colossal  figure,  not  only 
in  the  history  of  the  past  nineteen  centuries,  but  in  current 
events.  He  stands  in  solitary  majesty  as  the  mightiest  of  the 
mighty.  He  leads  the  van  of  every  praiseworthy  enterprise  in 
the  world.  We  are  reminded  of  what  Charles  Lamb  once  said 
of  Him,  during  a  discussion  as  to  the  relative  influence  of 
Jesus  and  other  historic  leaders,  "Gentlemen,  if  Shakespeare 
were  to  come  in  among  us,  we  would  rise  and  uncover ;  but  if 
Jesus  were  to  enter,  we  would  with  one  consent  fall  upon  our 
knees  before  him."  This  is  true.  The  foremost  man  of  our 
time  would  not  presume  to  say  that  he  is  worthy  to  unloose 
the  latchet  of  the  shoes  of  this  Jesus  which  is  called  the  Christ. 

The  argument  which  I  have  thus  presented  has  been  with- 
out reference  to  the  Scriptures  in  any  way ;  but  the  time  has 
now  come  to  take  down  the  old  Book,  in  order  to  confirm  it. 
If  our  minds  are  open  to  conviction,  we  shall  be  able  to  follow 
the  prophecies  from  Genesis  to  Malachi,  after  the  manner  of 
Paul,  and  see  the  face  of  Jesus  shining  forth  on  every  page 
and  his  name  written  between  all  the  lines.  It  will  now  be  a 
different  Book,  because  we  shall  read  it  with  different  eyes. 

An  Oriental  weaver,  who  had  made  an  elaborate  piece  of 
tapestry,  stretched  it  on  tenter-hooks  in  his  yard.  That  night 
it  was  stolen.  The  officers  found  a  fabric  which  seemed  to 
answer  the  description,  but  as  the  pattern  was  not  unlike  that 
of  others  there  must  be  definite  proof.  Accordingly  it  was 
brought  to  the  weaver's  yard ;  and  there  the  perforations  in 
the  fabric  were  found  to  correspond  exactly  to  the  tenter- 
hooks. This  was  demonstration.  In  like  manner  the  life  and 
character  of  Jesus  are  placed  over  against  the  prophecies  of 
the  Holy  Writ  and  found  to  correspond  point  by  point.  The 
conclusion  would  seem  to  be  inevitable.  This  Jesus  is  the 
Christ. 

It  is  painful  to  be  an  "honest  doubter,"  for  while  infidelity 
rests  in  unbelief,  honest  doubt  ever  agonizes  toward  the  light. 
The  Pilgrims  on  their  way  to  the  Celestial  City  were  given 
over  to  despondency  when  they  found  themselves  in  Doubting 


LOOK  AROUND  YOU  79 

Castle.  They  had  been  beaten  by  Giant  Despair  with  a  crab- 
tree  cudgel  and  feared  lest  the  Lord  had  forgotten  them._  On 
Saturday  about  midnight  they  began  to  pray,  and  continued 
thus  until  almost  the  breaking  of  day.  Then  Christian,  as  one 
amazed,  broke  out  into  this  passionate  speech :  "What  a  fool 
am  I,  to  thus  lie  in  a  dungeon  when  I  may  as  well  walk  at  lib- 
erty! I  have  a  key  in  my  bosom,  called  Promise,  that  will,  I 
am  persuaded,  open  any  lock  in  Doubting  Castle."  Hopeful 
said,  "This  is  good  news,  my  brother;  pluck  it  out  of  thy 
bosom  and  try."  And,  as  he  turned  the  key  in  door  after  door, 
they  flew  open  with  ease  and  Christian  and  Hopeful  came 
forth  into  the  light  of  day. 

A  willingness  to  believe — not  blind  credulity,  but  a  simple 
rational  faith,  a  faith  founded  on  evidence  and  backed  by  the 
authority  of  Scripture — is  the  key  which  will  solve  the  honest 
doubt  of  every  thinking  man.  Have  you  been  questioning  as 
to  whether  or  no  this  Jesus  is  the  Christ?  Pluck  the  key  out 
of  your  bosom  and  try ! 


XII 
SEE  HIM  AT  YOUR  DOOR 

If  you  knew  a  stranger  was  knocking  at  your  door  just 
now  what  would  you  do  about  it?  In  common  courtesy  you 
would  inquire  as  to  his  errand,  and,  if  well  disposed,  you 
would  admit  him. 

The  Saviour  stands  knocking  at  the  door  of  every  heart, 
saying,  "If  any  man  hear  my  voice  and  open  the  door,  I  will 
come  in  to  him  and  will  sup  with  him,  and  he  with  me."  Look 
out  of  your  window  and  you  shall  see  him.  What  will  you  do 
about  it? 

In  Holman  Hunt's  picture,  "The  Light  of  the  World,"  the 
patient  Christ  is  represented  waiting  thus  before  a  closed  door, 
his  locks  wet  with  the  dews  of  night.  A  little  child  who  saw 
this  picture  looked  at  it  long  and  earnestly  and  then,  turning 
to  her  father,  asked  with  a  pathetic  tremor  in  her  voice,  "Did 
he  get  in,  father ;  did  he  get  in  ?" 

All  the  world  knows  how  Henry  the  Fourth  of  Germany, 
the  proudest  sovereign  of  his  time,  was  brought  to  his  knees 
by  the  Pope's  anathema ;  so  that,  having  crossed  the  moun- 
tains in  the  dead  of  winter  and  presented  himself  at  Canossa 
as  a  suppliant  in  sackcloth,  he  was  kept  waiting  three  days 
and  nights  at  the  closed  door  of  the  so-called  Vicar  of  God. 
Volumes  have  been  written  about  that  visit,  because  it  deter- 
mined the  policy  of  empires  ;  but  here  is  a  visit,  told  in  a  single 
sentence,  which  is  fraught  with  greater  interest,  forasmuch  as 
the  issues  of  eternal  life  and  death  are  involved  in  it. 

This  august  visitor  comes  to  let  us  knozv  that  he  has  not 
forgotten  us.  "Can  a  woman  forget  her  sucking  child,  that 
she  should  not  have  compassion  on  the  son  of  her  womb  ?  Yea, 

80 


SEE   HIM    AT   YOR   DOOR  8 1 

she  may  forget ;  yet  will  I  not  forget  thee."  How  can  he  for- 
get us,  when  our  names  are  written  on  the  palms  of  his  hands  ? 
It  is  not  because  of  any  personal  merit  that  we  are  thus  re- 
membered, nor  because  of  anything  we  have  ever  done  for 
him ;  but  rather  on  account  of  what  he  has  done  for  us.  Is  this 
singular?  Love  is  oftentimes  engendered  by  benefits  conferred 
where  there  are  no  benefits  received.  In  a  letter  written  by 
Captain  Marryat  to  his  mother,  when  he  was  a  midshipman  in 
the  English  Navy,  he  speaks  of  a  sailor  who  had  provoked  his 
bitter  resentment  by  inflicting  petty  wrongs  and  affronts  upon 
him.  The  time  came,  however,  when  that  sailor  fell  over- 
board and  was  rescued  by  the  young  midshipman :  and  then 
he  wrote  his  mother  again,  telling  of  this  occurrence  and  say- 
ing, "I  do  not  understand  why  this  should  be ;  but  I  never  in 
my  life  loved  another  as  I  love  this  man."  So  the  love  of 
Christ  is  grounded  in  itself:  he  loves  us  because  he  gave  him- 
self for  us.  Wherefore  he  has  written  our  names  as  a  per- 
petual memorial  on  his  wounded  hands,  so  that  he  can  never 
forget  us. 

He  comes,  also,  to  reprove  its  of  sin.  It  is  true  that  of 
reprovers  there  is  no  lack :  but  there  is  none  like  him.  We  are 
compassed  about  by  witnesses  who  look  askance  at  our  short- 
comings and  point  their  fingers  at  us.  We  need  no  monitors 
to  cry  "Aha!  aha!"  The  most  lynx-eyed  of  critics  is  not  more 
aware  of  our  backslidings  than  we  are.  But  Christ's  reproof 
is  not  like  theirs.  On  the  night  before  his  crucifixion,  when 
he  stood  before  Pilate  as  a  prisoner  at  the  bar,  he  was  thrice 
denied  by  Peter,  who  was  warming  his  hands  at  a  fire  in  the 
open  court  near  by.  "And  the  Lord  turned  and  looked  upon 
Peter:  .  .  .  and  he  went  out  and  wept  bitterly."  Oh,  that 
loving,  heart-breaking  look !  No  fault-finder  in  the  world 
looks  at  us  that  way.  It  is  as  if  he  said,  "Is  this  thy  grati- 
tude for  all  that  I  have  done  for  thee?"  The  only  answer  is 
to  cry,  "Sorrie  I  am,  my  Lord ;  sorrie  I  am !"  And  the  evi- 
dence of  that  true  repentance  which  needeth  not  to  be  repented 
of  is  not  only  to  weep  bitterly,  but  to  forsake  our  besetting  sins. 

He  comes,  again,  to  assure  tis  of  his  pardoning  grace. 
When  he  met  Peter  on  the  lakeshore,  not  long  after  the  denial, 
and  asked,  "Simon,   son  of  John,  lovest  thou  me?"     Peter 


82  "we  would  see  jesus^^ 

answered,  "Yea,  Lord,  thou  knowest  that  I  love  thee."  And 
Jesus  said,  "Feed  my  sheep."  There  were  whole  volumes  of 
tender  mercies  in  those  words.  It  was  as  if  he  had  said,  "Let 
the  dead  past  bury  its  dead ;  the  future  calls  thee !" 

So  in  the  reproof  of  the  Saviour  there  is  always  a  promise 
of  better  things.  I  am  like  a  boy  at  school  with  a  slate  before 
me,  trying  with  knit  brows  to  do  a  difficult  sum  in  addition. 
The  Master  asks,  "How  are  you  getting  on?"  I  tearfully 
show  him  my  slate  full  of  errors,  saying  "It's  all  wrong ;  what 
shall  I  do?"  He  rubs  it  out  and  says,  "Don't  be  discouraged: 
try  again."  Blessed  be  his  name  for  the  provision  which  he 
has  made  for  blotting  out  our  sins !  And  blessed  be  his  name 
for  that  "Try  again !"  He  is  not  "a  hard  man."  He  does  not 
"break  the  bruised  reed  nor  quench  the  smoking  flax."  He 
does  not  cherish  the  memory  of  our  past  misdeeds  but  "casts 
them  behind  his  back"  and  promises  to  remember  them  no 
more  against  us.  Let  us  take  him  at  his  word  and  start  afresh. 
This  is  the  secret  of  the  Christian  life,  to  "forget  the  steps 
already  trod  and  onward  urge  our  way." 

He  comes,  moreover,  to  reneiv  his  covenant  imth  us.  What 
is  that  covenant?  "Be  thou  faithful  unto  death,  and  I  will 
give  thee  the  crown  of  life."  It  takes  two  to  make  a  covenant. 
"The  party  of  the  first  part"  offers  the  crown ;  but  "the  party 
of  the  second  part"  must  so  run  as  to  obtain  it.  And  when 
Christ  asks  us  to  renew  our  covenant  with  him,  he  offers 
therewith  all  the  strength  and  courage  and  equipment  neces- 
sary to  the  keeping  of  it.  He  brings  our  armor  with  the  call 
to  battle :  the  girdle  of  truth,  the  breastplate  of  righteousness, 
the  helmet  of  salvation,  the  sandals  of  the  preparation  of  the 
gospel  of  peace,  the  shield  of  faith  wherewith  we  shall  be  able 
to  quench  all  the  fiery  darts  of  the  wicked,  and  the  sword  of 
the  Spirit  which  is  the  Word  of  God.  And  having  thus  har- 
nessed us  for  all  the  trials  and  responsibilities  of  life,  he  bids 
us  "withstand  in  the  evil  day,  and  having  done  all,  to  stand." 
If  we  fail,  under  such  circumstances,  it  is  not  his  fault  but 
ours ;  for  we  can  do  all  things  in  him  that  strengtheneth  us. 

He  comes,  still  further,  to  manifest  his  presence:  as  he 
said,  "If  a  man  love  me  he  will  keep  my  word ;  and  my  Father 
will  love  him ;  and  we  will  come  unto  him  and  make  our  abode 


SEE    HIM    AT    YOUR   DOOR  83 

with  him."  Here  is  a  promise  of  companionship  all  along  the 
way.  It  has  one  condition  affixed  to  it,  namely,  "If  a  man 
love  me."  A  great  "if"  with  immeasurable  hopes  and  dis- 
appointments flowing  out  of  it !  Could  we  but  realize  his  con- 
stant presence  what  Christians  we  would  be!  It  is  never  I 
alone  who  address  myself  to  an  appointed  task;  but  Christ 
and  I.  It  is  never  I  alone  who  lift  the  burden  of  trial  and 
sorrow;  but  Christ  and  I.  It  is  never  I  alone  who  confront 
the  adversary  in  the  close  grapple  of  temptation :  but  always 
Christ  and  I.  Say  not,  "Who  shall  ascend  into  heaven  to 
bring  Christ  down?"  or  "Who  shall  descend  into  the  abyss 
to  bring  him  up  ?"  O  dearest  Friend,  closest  of  companions, 
thou  art  ever  beside  us ! 

It  is  thus  that  Jesus  visits  us,  knocking  and  pleading  to 
come  in.  His  arms  are  laden  with  loving  kindnesses.  He 
wants  nothing  but  to  make  our  life  worth  living  and  heaven 
worth  striving  for.  Shall  he  enter?  Not  unless  we  open  the 
door.    Shall  we  let  him  in  ? 

^  A  man's  heart  is  his  castle.  Reason  and  Will  are  two 
mighty  bolts  by  which  it  is  fastened  even  against  God.  He 
addresses  himself  to  the  reason,  saying,  "Come,  now,  and  let 
us  reason  together ;  though  your  sins  be  as  scarlet,  they  shall 
be  as  white  as  snow;  though  they  be  red  like  crimson,  they 
shall  be  as  wool."  But  suppose  our  intellectual  powers  are 
convinced,  what  then?  Though  the  upper  bolt  be  drawn, 
the  lower  bolt  holds  fast.  We  may  yield  a  mental  assent  to 
all  the  arguments  and  entreaties  of  divine  grace  and  yet  be 
unreconciled  with  God :  for,  in  the  last  reduction,  the  stubborn 
will  must  yield  or  God  cannot  come  in.  There  lies  the  trouble. 
"Ye  will  not  come  to  me  that  ye  may  have  life." 

It_  is  difficult  to  imagine  how  God  could  have  created  a 
man  in  his  own  likeness  and  after  his  image  without  endowing 
him  with  a  sovereign  will.  He  might  have  made  a  graven 
image  or  a  mannikin ;  but  this  would  not  have  been  a  child 
of  God.  It  is  obvious  that  the  possession  of  a  sovereign  will 
carries  with  it  the  power  of  disobedience.  In  this  we  are  dif- 
ferentiated from  all  the  lower  orders  of  life.  The  stars  of 
heaven  obey  God.  The  fowls  of  the  air  and  the  beasts  of  the 
forest  and  the  fishes  of  the  sea  all  yield  to  his  behest;  but  man 


84  "we  would  see  jesus" 

has  the  power  to  say,  "I  will  not."  It  thus  appears  that  the 
token  of  our  divine  birthright  is  the  danger  signal  of  our 
destiny.  The  same  endowment  that  brings  us  into  filial  rela- 
tion with  the  Father  involves  the  possibility  of  an  awful  re- 
volt and  infinite  departure  from  him.  If,  therefore,  God 
would  have  access  to  my  soul  he  must  stand  there  and  knock 
and  abide  my  decision.  It  is  written  of  him  that  he  will  not 
"turn  aside  the  right  of  a  man."  If  he  draw  me,  he  must 
draw  me  with  "the  cords  of  a  man." 

But  why  should  the  man  in  the  closed  house — a  sinner, 
eating  his  heart  out  with  shame  and  misgiving — refuse  to  ad- 
mit the  gracious  Son  of  God?  Oh,  surely  there  must  be  some 
misunderstanding  here !  He  comes  to  sup  with  us !  The 
feasts  of  Vitellius  have  gone  into  history.  It  was  not  an  un- 
common thing  for  him  to  spend  on  a  single  banquet  the  rev- 
enues of  an  entire  province.  His  table  was  furnished  with 
lampreys  from  distant  seas,  with  nightingales'  tongues  and 
peacocks'  brains  and  all  manner  of  rare  delicacies.  Those 
were  famous  feasts ;  hut  they  were  nothing  to  those  which 
the  Son  of  Man  proposes  to  furnish  for  the  delectation  of  all 
who  will  open  unto  him.  Here  is  water  from  the  King's  well, 
wine  from  the  King's  vineyard,  apples  and  pomengranates 
from  the  King's  orchard.  Here  is  the  joy  of  pardon,  "Son, 
thy  sins  be  forgiven  thee."  Here  is  "the  peace  of  God  which 
passeth  all  understanding."  Here  is  "the  hope  that  maketh 
not  ashamed."  Here  are  all  the  consolations  of  the  heavenly 
grace ;  and  here  is  the  benignant  presence  of  the  King  of 
Kings  shining  like  a  benediction  upon  all. 

But  what  a  wonder  is  here :  "//  any  man  will  open  unto 
me!"  Who  shall  explain  that  if?  In  one  of  Doctor  Arnot's 
letters  he  says  that,  hearing  of  the  distress  of  a  poor  widow 
who  was  to  be  evicted  for  non-payment  of  rent,  he  took  with 
him  one  evening  a  sum  of  money  and  knocked  at  her  door. 
He  thought  he  heard  a  sound  of  shuffling  feet  and  a  turning 
of  the  window  blind,  but,  as  his  repeated  knockings  were  un- 
answered, he  went  his  way.  The  next  morning  he  came  again, 
and,  on  his  mentioning  his  previous  visit,  the  woman  cried, 
"Oh,  minister,  was  that  you?  I  heard  the  knock;  but  I  sup- 
posed it  was  my  landlord  coming  to  dispossess  me."    Did  we 


SEE    HIM    AT    YOUR   DOOR 


but  know  the  goodness  in  the  heart  of  Him  who  stands  waiting 
at. our  door  we  surely  would  not  exclude  him.  It  is  written, 
"God  sent  not  the  Son  into  the  world  to  judge  the  world ;  but 
that  the  world  should  be  saved  through  him."  Salvation  is 
the  gift  he  brings  us.  Why  then  this  attitude  toward  Him? 
Hark!  The  voice  is  pleading  still:  "Behold,  I  stand  and 
knock;  if  thou  wilt  open  unto  me  I  will  come  in  and  sup 
with  thee." 

Knocking,  knocking;  what,   still  there? 

Waiting,  waiting,  grand  and  fair! 

Yes,  the  pierced  hand  still  knocketh; 

And,  beneath  the  crowned  hair, 

Beam  the  patient  eyes  so  tender 

Of  thy  Saviour  waiting  there. 

AVhat  say  you  ?  Let  gratitude  unbolt  the  door.  Let  love 
cry,  "Welcome,  thou  kindest  of  friends,  thou  most  sovereign 
of  kings,  thou  only  Saviour!  come  in  and  sup  with  me!" 


CONCLUSION 

We  have  seen  him.  The  question  now  is,  "What  shall  we 
do  with  this  Jesus  which  is  called  the  Christ?" 

There  he  stands !  You  and  I  and  each  for  himself  must 
say  whether  he  shall  be  our  Christ  or  not.  It  is  cowardice 
to  be  convinced  of  the  truth  and  still  unwilling  to  close  in 
with  it.  Postponement  is  rejection.  Not  to  decide  is  to  decide 
not.  Opportunity  is  responsibility :  and  opportunity  is  here 
and  now. 

To  hide  our  faces  from  him  is  the  only  unpardonable  sin: 
unpardonable  in  the  necessity  of  the  case,  because  it  closes 
the  only  door  that  has  ever  been  opened  out  of  sin  into  salva- 
tion. To  accept  him  is  to  lay  everything  at  his  feet  and  to  knit 
our  destiny  with  his  in  spiritual  and  eternal  life. 

And  what  then?  Eye  hath  not  seen  nor  ear  heard,  neither 
have  entered  into  the  heart  of  man  the  things  which  await  us ! 
"Now  are  we  children  of  God,  and  it  is  not  yet  made  manifest 
what  we  shall  be.  We  know  that,  if  he  shall  be  manifested, 
we  shall  be  like  him,  for  we  shall  see  him  even  as  he  is," 

86 


AFTERWORD. 

The  reader  will  perhaps  remember  the  words  with  which 
this  volume  opened : 

This  little  book  is  dedicated 
To  My  Friend. 

I  met  him  for  the  first  time  on  an  October  evening  in  1856. 
This  is  the  fifty-eighth  anniversary  of  our  acquaintance.  It 
would  appear  that  I  have  known  him  long  enough  to 
prove  him.  I  have  summered  and  wintered  with  him.  I  have 
been  with  him  at  the  cross-roads  of  conduct  and  he  has  al- 
ways pointed  out  the  right  way.  I  have  been  with  him  in  the 
Valley  of  Baca,  and  he  has  given  me  good  cheer.  I  have 
been  with  him  in  the  Mount  of  Transfiguration  and  seen  his 
face  shining  as  the  sun  shineth  in  its  strength.  I  have  been 
with  him  in  bright  and  dark  days,  in  evil  and  good  report, 
and  he  has  never  failed  me  yet.  And  I  expect  to  go  with  him 
presently  through  the  Valley  of  the  Shadow  of  Death ;  and  I 
am  confident  that  there  his  rod  and  his  stafif  will  comfort  me. 

1  had  known  about  him  before  that  October  day ;  but  we 
were  not  on  what  would  be  called  intimate  terms ;  indeed,  we 
were  scarcely  speaking  acquaintances.  I  had  read  of  him,  had 
heard  him  spoken  of  in  the  village  church  and  in  the  family 
circle;  but  he  had  seemed  to  me  as  "a.  root  out  of  a  dry 
ground,"  and  when  I  casually  saw  him  there  was  no  form  nor 
comeliness  in  him  that  I  should  desire.  What  led  me  to  change 
my  mind?  I  scarcely  know.  It  was  as  if  a  veil  were  lifted. 
So  that  when  I  saw  him  that  October  day  he  seemed  to  me 
the  chiefest  among  ten  thousand  and  altogether  lovely.  Oh 
happy  day! 

87 


88  WE   WOULD  SEE  JESUS 

And  we  have  walked  together  pleasantly  ever  since.  Not 
that  we  have  never  disagreed ;  but  the  fault  has  always  been 
with  me.  And  now  that  fifty-eight  years  have  passed,  I  am 
prepared  to  say  that  there  has  never  been  a  moment  when  I 
would  willingly  have  parted  company  with  him.  He  has  never 
wronged  me ;  never  deceived  me ;  never  failed  me.  He  has 
been  as  true  as  steel.  When  I  have  stumbled  he  has  helped  me 
up ;  when  I  have  been  perplexed  he  has  counseled  me.  He  is 
a  friend  that  sticketh  closer  than  a  brother.  I  only  wish  that 
everybody  knew  him ! 

Go  with  me  and  I  will  introduce  you.  He  is  to  be  found 
in  a  quiet  trysting-place  that  I  know  of.  You  will  be  expected : 
for  I  have  already  spoken  to  him  about  the  matter;  and  he 
said,  "Bring  him  to  me."  There  will  be  no  need  of  knocking. 
Go  right  in ;  you  will  find  him  waiting  for  you.  I  will  re- 
main without,  however,  lest  I  intrude.  But  before  you  cross 
the  threshold  let  me  advise  you  as  to  what  you  are  about 
to  see. 

To  begin  with,  you  will  find  him  a  man;  a  man  in  all  points 
such  as  you  are. 

He  has  been  painted  by  the  old  masters  with  a  halo  en- 
circling his  head ;  do  not  look  for  anything  of  the  sort.  You 
will  be  more  likely  to  find  him  in  homespun ;  his  hands  marked 
with  the  callous  ridges  of  toil.  For  he  is  an  average  man ;  a 
man  of  the  people,  knowing  what  it  is  to  be  weary  at  the  day's 
close.  He  will  not  address  you  in  the  terminology  of  the 
schools ;  but  will  show  himself  possessed  of  great  common 
sense.  His  usual  greeting  is,  "Come,  now,  and  let  us  reason 
together."  He  is  familiar  with  all  the  thoroughfares  of  hu- 
man experience,  and  can,  therefore,  be  touched  with  a  feeling 
of  your  infirmities.  You  will  find  him  a  man  of  deep  sym- 
pathy, a  very  human  man. 

But  you  will  discover  that  he  is  a  siuo;uIar  man  in  some 
ways ;  particularly  in  this,  that  he  is  without  sin. 

The  world  has  never  seen  another  such.  We  have  known 
men  without  eyes,  without  hands,  without  feet ;  but  never 
a  man  without  sin.  "For  there  is  no  distinction ;  for  all  have 
sinned,  and  fall  short  of  the  glory  of  God" :  that  is,  all  except 
this  friend  of  mine.     He  has  been  in  all  points  tempted  like 


AFTER\A'ORD  ©9 

as  we  are,  yet  without  sin.  He  never  did  a  wrong  act ;  never 
spoke  a  wrong  word  ;  never  had  a  wrong  thought.  He  is  nega- 
tively perfect,  in  that  he  never  broke  the  law.  He  is  posi- 
tively perfect,  in  that  he  has  obeyed  the  law  even  to  the  last 
jot  and  tittle  of  it.  His  life  is  recorded  in  this  brief  mono- 
graph, "He  went  about  doing  good."  He  did  good  always  as 
he  had  opportunity  unto  all  men. 

He  once  issued  a  challenge  on  this  wise :  "Which  of  you 
convicteth  me  of  sin?"  It  would  have  been  infinite  presump- 
tion in  any  other  man  to  speak  that  way.  His  challenge  was 
accepted ;  he  was  arrested,  haled  to  court  and  put  through 
"the  third  degree,"  and  when  the  case  was  concluded,  the  pre- 
siding judge  summed  up  the  evidence  in  these  memorable 
words :  "Behold  the  man !  .  .  .  I  find  no  fault  in  him."  The 
united  testimony  of  the  world  for  nineteen  centuries  has  been 
an  echo  of  those  words.  All  the  searchlights  of  history  have 
been  turned  upon  my  friend,  and  no  flaw  has  been  found  in 
the  harness  of  his  righteousness.  There  are  spots  on  the  noon- 
day sun ;  but  there  is  not  a  fleck  discernible  in  the  character 
of  this  man.  He  stands  solitary  and  alone,  as  the  one  perfect, 
incomparable,  unaccountable  man. 

You  will  find  him,  furthermore,  claiming  to  be  the  Son 
of  God. 

Now,  there  is  a  sense  in  which  we  are  all  sons  of  God. 
We  are  his  sons  by  creation :  as  it  is  written,  "God  created 
man  in  his  own  image :  in  the  image  of  God  created  he  him." 
Some  are  sons  of  God  by  adoption :  as  it  is  written,  "We  have 
received  the  spirit  of  adoption  whereby  we  cry,  'Abba, 
Father.' "  But  this  friend  of  mine  is  God's  Son  not  by  crea- 
tion, for  he  never  w^s  created ;  nor  by  adoption,  for  he  never 
was  adopted;  but  by  an  eternal  begetting.  He  stands  alone 
and  solitary  as  "the  only-begotten  Son." 

He  is  the  pre-existent  Son.  He  speaks  of  "the  glory  which 
he  had  with  the  Father  before  the  world  was."  Our  life  had 
a  beginning:  his  never.  From  everlasting  to  everlasting  he  is 
God's  only-begotten  Son. 

He  is  the  co-equal  Son.  He  arrogates  to  himself  every  one 
of  the  divine  attributes.  He  claims  omnipotence,  omniscience, 
omnipresence.     He  was  charged  by  his  accusers  with  bias- 


90  "we  would  see  jesus" 

phemy,  in  that  "he  made  himself  equal  with  God."  The  charge 
of  blasphemy  was  false;  but  the  specifications  were  true. 
There  is  no  question  as  to  his  claim ;  and  there  is  no  escape 
from  the  consequent  dilemma ;  he  was  a  blasphemer  unless  he 
was  what  he  claimed  to  be. 

And,  further  still,  he  is  identical  with  God.  A  man  once 
said  to  him,  "Show  us  the  Father,  and  it  sufficeth  us."  Listen 
to  his  answer :  "Have  I  been  so  long  time  with  you,  and  dost 
thou  not  know  me?  He  that  hath  seen  me  hath  seen  the 
Father;  how  sayest  thou,  Show  us  the  Father.  Believest 
thou  not  that  I  am  in  the  Father  and  the  Father  in  me  ?"  On 
another  occasion  he  said  more  plainly  still,  "I  and  my  Father 
are  one." 

It  will  be  found,  also,  as  this  interview  proceeds,  that  my 
friend  claims  to  be  the  Messiah. 

The  word  Messiah  means  "anointed."  In  old  times  men 
were  anointed  when  they  were  set  apart  to  important  tasks. 
Kings  were  anointed  to  rule;  priests  to  minister  at  the  altar; 
prophets  to  teach.  And  Christ  was  anointed  because  he  had 
something  definite  to  do. 

What  was  the  errand  which  brought  him  into  this  world 
of  ours?  A  Book  was  written  about  this  matter  in  which  his 
mission  is  made  very  clear.  The  Book  referred  to,  which  is 
called  The  Old  Testament,  opens  with  a  statement  that  the 
Messiah  is  to  come  in  the  fullness  of  time  to  "bruise  the  ser- 
pent's head"  and  repair  the  damage  wrought  by  sin.  The 
theme  of  the  entire  Book  is  this  Alission  of  the  Messiah.  It 
states  specifically  how  he  is  to  accomplish  the  work  marked 
out  for  him.  He  comes  into  the  world  to  die  as  a  ransom, 
or  in  payment  of  the  penalty  of  sin.  He  is  to  be  "wounded 
for  our  transgressions,  .  .  .  bruised  for  our  iniquities,  ,  .  . 
by  his  stripes  we  are  healed."  The  Book  presents  an  elaborate 
cult  or  ceremonial  system,  the  center  of  which  is  an  altar  on 
which  a  lamb  is  sacrificed.  This  is  "the  Lamb  of  God  slain 
from  the  foundation  of  the  world,"  whose  blood  cleanseth  from 
all  sin.  The  people  who  were  divinely  "chosen"  to  hold  this 
Book  were  accustomed  to  speak  of  the  Messiah  as  "the  Hope 
of  Israel" ;  they  confidently  expected  him  to  come  in  the  full- 
ness of  time. 


AFTERWORD  9 1 

My  friend  claims  to  be  that  Messiah.  To  the  woman  of 
Samaria,  who  pathetically  expressed  a  desire  for  the  coming 
of  "Messiah,  he  that  is  called  Christ,"  he  said  plainly,  "I  that 
speak  unto  thee  am  he." 

He  emphasizes  the  fact  that  the  saving  power  of  his  gospel 
is  his  death :  a  singular  death,  differing  from  that  of  all  other 
men  in  that  it  was  vicarious.  He  tasted  death  not  for  him- 
self but  "for  every  man." 

We  must  needs  pass  through  the  little  wicket-gate  of  eter- 
nity all  alone,  each  for  himself ;  but  he  changed  places  with 
many,  dying  their  death  that  he  might  accomplish  their  sal- 
vation. Wherefore  his  praises  are  sung  by  a  great  multitude 
which  no  man  can  number  in  these  words :  "Worthy  art  thou, 
for  thou  wast  slain,  and  didst  purchase  unto  God  with  thy 
blood  men  of  every  tribe  and  tongue  and  people  and  nation, 
and  madest  them  to  be  unto  our  God  a  kingdom  and  priests !" 

But,  despite  the  fact  that  my  friend  is  thus  distinguished 
above  all,  he  presents  himself  to  you  as  a  suppliant. 

He  has  a  request  to  make :  a  great  request,  namely,  that 
he  may  be  permitted  to  save  you.  He  wants  you  to  receive 
the  benefit  of  his  vicarious  death  so  that,  with  sins  forgiven, 
you  may  enter  into  the  glory  of  the  endless  life. 

This  proffer  is  addressed  to  all  the  children  of  men.  There 
is  blood  enough  in  the  fountain  opened  for  uncleanness  on 
Calvary  to  cleanse  all  sinners  even  unto  the  uttermost.  The 
cross  of  Christ  proclaimed  a  Universal  Amnesty :  through  it 
the  Messiah  stretches  forth  his  hands  with  the  invitation, 
"Look  unto  me  and  be  ye  saved,  all  the  ends  of  the  earth !" 

But  there  is  one  condition  affixed  to  the  gift  of  spiritual 
and  eternal  life.  It  is  that  you  shall  appropriate  it.  This  ap- 
propriation is  faith,  a  hand  stretched  out  to  take  it.  Is  this 
asking  too  much  ?  "What  is  not  worth  the  taking  is  not  worth 
the  having."  My  friend  wants  you  to  be  free  from  the  handi- 
cap of  a  misHved  past,  so  that,  unhampered,  you  may  run  up 
the  heavenly  way :  but  to  that  end  you  must  give  up  all  other 
plans  of  salvation  whatsoever  and  be  willing  to  be  saved  in 
his  way.  This  is  the  great  doctrine  known  as  "Justification  by 
Faith"  reduced  to  its  simplest  terms.    Only  believe !    "He  that 


92  'we    would   see   JESUS 

will,  let  him  take  the  water  of  life  freely."  The  water  is  free, 
but  the  thirsty  must  dip  it  up  and  drink  it. 

If  you  refuse,  what  then?  Then  you  remain  just  where 
you  were.  In  no  event  can  there  be  any  ground  of  complaint. 
You  stay  where  you  elect  to  stay,  and  take  your  chances 
under  the  law.  He  that  doeth  the  law  shall  live  by  it!  But 
if  you  have  broken  the  law,  what  then?  The  law  explicitly 
says,  "The  soul  that  sinneth,  it  shall  die" ;  and  soul-death  is 
hopeless  alienation  from  a  holy  God. 

If  you  accept  the  overtures  of  my  friend,  he  has  somewhat 
further  to  say.  He  proposes  to  be  your  taskmaster,  from  this 
time  on.  His  words  are,  'Tf  any  man  w^ould  come  after  me, 
let  him  deny  himself,  and  take  up  his  cross,  and  follow  me." 

He  claims  the  right  of  mastery  over  those  who  are  saved 
through  him.  "Ye  call  me.  Teacher  and  Lord,  and  ye  say 
well,  for  so  I  am."  The  man  who  is  forgiven  must  straight- 
way pass  under  the  yoke.  Conversion  is  subjugation.  My 
friend  wants  you  to  "come" ;  but  the  moment  you  come  he 
insists  that  you  shall  "go."     Go  where  ?    Wherever  he  says. 

I'll  go  where  you  want  me  to  go,  dear  Lord, 

Over  mountain  and  plain  and  sea ; 
I'll  do  what  you  want  me  to  do,  dear  Lord, 

I'll  be  what  you  want  me  to  be; 

His  word  must  be  henceforth  your  law.  You  are  to  believe 
what  he  says,  no  matter  what  the  world  thinks  about  it.  And 
in  your  walk  and  conversation  you  are  bound  to  follow  in  his 
steps.  No  man  passes  into  heaven  who  does  not  first  pass  into 
commission  as  a  servant  of  Christ.  He  is  engaged  in  a  great 
work,  the  setting  up  of  his  Kingdom  in  this  world  of  ours. 
He  said,  "My  Father  worketh  hitherto,  and  I  work."  He  is 
the  reaper  of  the  world's  harvest.  He  comes  this  way  with 
sickle  in  hand ;  and  if  he  find  a  man  with  "Christ"  on  his  fore- 
head and  apparently  nothing  to  do,  he  addresses  him  thus: 
"Why  stand  ye  idle  all  the  day?  Say  not,  It  is  yet  four  months 
and  then  cometh  the  harvest.  Lift  up  your  eyes  and  see! 
The  fields  are  white  already  unto  the  harvest.  I  go  to  reap. 
Here  is  a  sickle  for  thee ;  thrust  it  in  and  reap.  As  the  Father 
sent  me  into  the  world,  so  send  I  you.    Work  while  it  is  day !" 


AFTERWORD  93 

I  doubt  not  that  my  friend  could  accomplish  his  purpose 
without  any  assistance  from  you  or  me.  He  could  restore  the 
world  to  truth  and  righteousness  by  the  sheer  dead-lift  of  his 
omnipotence;  but  he  has  chosen  otherwise.  He  calls  us  to 
co-operate  with  him.  It  is  infinite  condescension  on  his  part 
thus  to  include  us  in  the  partnership  of  grace.  How  splendidly 
the  possibilities  of  manhood  are  exalted  by  it !  The  greatest 
thing  in  the  world  is  this  co-partnership  of  saved  sinners  with 
the  Saviour  in  the  work  of  universal  salvation.  Lend  a  hand, 
my  brother,  if  you  would  make  your  life  tell. 

One  thing  more  you  will  discover  in  this  interview,  to  wit, 
that  my  friend  is  a  sure  paymaster. 

He  asks  nothing  for  nothing.  We  are  saved  by  his  grace  and 
not  by  any  works  of  our  own.  Yet  none  of  our  good  works  is 
for  naught.  He  says,  "Whosoever  shall  give  to  drink  unto  one 
of  these  little  ones  a  cup  of  cold  water  only,  in  the  name  of  a 
disciple,  verily  I  say  unto  you  he  shall  in  no  wise  lose  his  re- 
ward." We  go  to  heaven  by  grace;  but  the  kind  of  heaven 
we  find  when  we  get  there  will  depend  upon  the  faithful  serv- 
ice which  we  render  here  and  now. 

In  the  parable  of  The  Vineyard,  he  is  said  to  have  agreed 
with  his  laborers  for  "a  penny  a  day."  But  what  a  penny! 
On  one  side  of  it  is  the  image  and  superscription  of  the  King ; 
on  the  other  is  this  legend,  "Enter  thou  into  the  joy  of  thy 
Lord!"  I 

It  means  something  to  be  a  Christian.  It  means  giving 
up  some  things,  but  nothing  which  is  not  tinctured  with  sin. 
It  means  taking  on  other  things,  but  nothing  which  has  not  to 
do  with  the  kingdom  of  God.  And  for  all  that  we  surrender 
we  are  promised  "manifold  more  in  this  time  and  in  the  world 
to  come  eternal  life."  Manifold  here  and  now !  This  is  better 
than  the  best  gold-bearing  bonds.  And  in  the  time  to  come 
life  eternal!  Who  shall  define  that?  It  means  heaven,  eternal 
felicity,  the  Master's  "Well  done!"  It  means  to  eat  of  the 
hidden  manna  and  to  drink  of  the  river  of  life.  Oh,  it  pays, 
it  pays  splendidly  and  eternally,  to  serve  in  the  retinue  of  the 
only-begotten  Son  of  God! 

This  is  my  friend  to  whom  I  would  introduce  you.  Will 
you  enter  and  commune  with  him?    Do  not  stand  upon  cere- 


94  \VE   WOULD   SEE  JESUS 

mony.  Be  quite  free.  If  you  have  aught  against  him,  tell 
him  so.  Bring  forth  your  strong  arguments.  But  dispossess 
yourself  of  all  prejudgments ;  and  look  candidly,  dispassion- 
ately, earnestly  into  his  face.  To  see  him  is  to  wonder ;  to 
know  him  is  to  love. 

It  was  the  red-letter  day  of  my  life  when  I  made  his  ac- 
quaintance fifty-eight  years  ago.  It  will  be  the  red-letter  day 
of  your  Hfe  if  you  shall  now  receive  him,  saying,  "My  Lord, 
my  life,  my  sacrifice,  my  Saviour  and  my  all !" 

New  York,  October  i,  19 14. 


Date  Due 

1 

SEIs#«««*^ 

f) 

Princeton  Theological  Seminary-Spe. 


1    1012  01020  2200 


